Nico has been a friend and fan of Wind River Chimes for years. When he was just eight years old, he visited for a tour of the warehouse. This year, Nico turned 16 and returned for a full factory tour. Luke Croushorn, vice president of sales, guided Nico through the factory, wood shop, assembly shop and the warehouse, following the path of a chime from raw material to packaged and ready to ship.
Nico has autism, a condition that often leads to processing sensory information differently. “One of the things that makes people with autism unique,” said Jan Adams, Nico's mom, said, “is that because their brains work differently than ours, certain senses excel or are amplified.” For Nico, sound is particularly interesting. He can recognize each of the different chime tones. During his factory tour, Nico especially loved getting to help tune a newly cut chime pipe.
When asked what she'd like people to know about children with autism, Jan Adams said that the most important thing to remember is to treat each person with love and respect. It can be good to ask what's helpful, too. Some people with autism, for instance, have a heightened sensitivity to touch, and don't like for other people to touch them. But really, Adams said, “They want the same thing everybody else wants: to be loved and accepted.”
At the end of his factory tour, Nico got his own, personally engraved chime to take home with him. And he's got big plans for the future, too: “Someday,” he said, “when I'm older, I'll learn how to do this and work here.” We're so grateful for Nico's friendship with Wind River, and glad for all the ways we are inspiring harmony together.
