Tubs of cheddar-flavored popcorn are nice and a basket full of fruit can be fun but when the holidays are over, what have we really done? This year rather than sending clients a gift in appreciation for their patronage and partnership, we decided to make a difference. That money is being donated to two great causes that directly affect people’s lives.

Take a moment and check out Kid One and Wounded Warrior Project and this holiday season know that you made a difference.

KID ONE

For Kid One, the mission is simple: transport children and expectant mothers to necessary health care services. Since 1997, Kid One has been fulfilling this mission as the only nonprofit of its kind in the state of Alabama and one of only a handful of nonprofit transportation providers targeting children in the U.S.

Kid One Transport System, Inc. was founded in 1997 by a young firefighter from Hoover, Alabama: Russell Jackson. Initially it was just Russell and his van, driving kids to critical care appointments in Birmingham. Today, Kid One operates a fleet of 19 vehicles serving 35 counties throughout central and north-central Alabama. At its inception, Kid One consisted of one man, one van, and a vision for making access to health care a reality for children in need across this state. That vision remains the cornerstone of Kid One today.

They are an organization committed to removing transportation as a barrier to quality health care throughout the state of Alabama. From their drivers to their fundraisers, they work daily to ensure that the most vulnerable and needy among us are not abandoned due to their circumstances.

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) serves military service members who incurred service-connected wounds, injuries, or illnesses on or after September 11, 2001 and their families. On that date, America watched in horror as approximately 3,000 people died including hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers. Many warriors note a sense of duty to volunteer for the military following these tragic events.

Sept. 11 also served as a stimulus for Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn. Operation Iraqi Freedom refers to military operations in Iraq that began March 19, 2003 and officially ended August 31, 2010. Operation Enduring Freedom refers to combat operations in Afghanistan and other regions in support of the Global War on Terror. Operation New Dawn refers to the conclusion of operations in Iraq beginning September 1, 2010 and ending December 15, 2011.

2012 has been a big year for Highlands Hospital in Scottsboro, Alabama and in particular the hospital’s new foundation. Highlands Foundation has been very active in a short period of time, successfully raising the funds for much needed programs and facilities while rallying the community to support their local hospital. The year was capped off nicely with the debut of the Highlands Foundation logo and the installation of a new interactive donor recognition wall in the main lobby of the hospital. Somerset of Huntsville, Alabama was selected to design and fabricate the new donor recognition wall as well as create a new Highlands Foundation logo.

Renee Powell, Highlands Foundation President was thrilled with the new donor wall and has been receiving glowing feedback from the community since its installation in early November.

“Highlands Foundation is proud to have found Somerset to partner with for its first ever donor wall. It is traditional with a modern flare and absolutely beautiful. Everyone who comes through the lobby has commented on the wall, and we have even received donations already in direct response to this new addition.”

The new Interactive donor recognition wall at Highlands offers a twist on traditional donor recognition displays. Made up of six specific areas for permanent name recognition, the new donor system also features a touch-screen monitor to acknowledge all levels of donors in real time. This feature allows Highlands Foundation and the hospital to acknowledge all donors within seconds of receiving a donation. This interactive donor recognition wall is the latest step Highlands Foundation has taken to further engage Scottsboro and its surrounding communities and is a key component to the success of hospital. The new donor recognition wall is now on display and will be formally introduced to the public in January 2013.

“As a father of two small kids I know first hand how valuable this exhibit is for today’s kids – especially in a time of slashed art budgets in public schools…”

Huntsville, Alabama – September 7, 2012 – The challenge of getting young children to be excited about the art museum is now an every day occurrence at the Birmingham Museum of Art thanks to two new galleries designed by Somerset. The Sonat and Hess galleries, collectively known as “Bart’s ArtVenture!”, have transformed fine art from looking at paintings to creating and experiencing art as self-expression.

“Bart’s ArtVenture!” was developed in colloaboration with the Museum staff and Somerset’s creative team lead by Sloane Bibb and Phillip Yonfa to be a place of exploration and hands-on experiences with many types of artistic expression. This space uses technology and conventional tools to let children play but at the same time develop and understanding of art. One of the specific features of these galleries was the intentional linking of the museum’s permanent collection to the kid friendly exhibits.

“As a father of two small kids I know first hand how valuable this exhibit is for today’s kids – especially in a time of slashed art budgets in public schools” said David Towry Somerset’s point man on the project. “The impact these two spaces have had on family and kid attendance at the Birmingham Museum of Art is huge” stated Towry.

One of the many first’s for this project was the development of the “Create with Color” digital paint wall. This exhibit uses two specially developed touch screen systems and custom software to allow kids to finger paint or elbow paint on a massive digital canvas. When the piece is finished it can be emailed right from the “Create with Color” to be printed at home and proudly displayed on the family refrigerator.

While appearing deceptively simple the “Create with Color” system is a complex multi-touch application that provides almost infinite options for the user. “Crayons or pencil and paper don’t have restriction so we had to create a program that would not restrict a child’s creativity” stated Don Davidson, Somerset’s CEO who spear headed the development of this exhibit. “Making something complex is difficult but making something simple can be complex” said Davidson.

In addition to the “Create with Color” interactives the galleries feature experiences that allow visitors to decorate various types of pottery, color tribal masks, create collages with elements of other paintings or take a picture of themselves as part of a painting in the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibits were varied and structured to allow each visit to be a unique experience making “Bart’s ArtVenture!” in the Hess and Sonat Galleries great for repeat visits.

“Increasing family participation has been an institutional goal at the Birmingham Museum of Art for several years now. With the opening of Bart’s ArtVenture! we are truly realizing this goal, as our family visitation has more than quadrupled. We are very proud to report that family audiences now make up an impressive 15% of our overall attendance.” — Gail Andrews, R. Hugh Daniel Director of the Birmingham Museum of Art

Somerset is an environment, exhibits and tradeshow company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. They have been developing environments and exhibits for a wide range of museums and corporations for almost twenty years. They have worked with the Smithsonian Institution, United State National Holocaust Memorial Museum, National Park Service, US Navy and many others.

View Project

CONTACT:

• David Towry
• Somerset
• 475 Providence Main Street
• Suite 403
• Huntsville, Alabama 35806
• 256.772.3435×14

“This rare image was just recently discovered in Boston. We were fortunate to discover the photo while developing the exhibit for Early Works. It was great timing.”

Huntsville, Alabama – August 28, 2012 – A very rare image of a young Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan will make its Alabama debut as part of the “I Come from Alabama” exhibit developed for the Early Works Children’s History Museum by exhibit designers at Somerset.

This black and white photograph of Helen and Anne was taken in July of 1888 during a family vacation to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The photo shows a young Helen Keller holding a doll.

The image was originally discovered by a staff member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston during a search of items donated by Thaxter Spencer. The image was identified by Somerset researchers during the development of a new exhibit for Early Works.

The image is prominently featured along with several other images of Helen Keller and numerous hands-on exhibits that introduce visitors to the world of Helen Keller, the way she experienced it. The exhibit features interactive components that limit the visitor to only the senses that would have been available to Helen. Examples include an exhibit that focuses on the sense of touch to identify a common item or to put together a simple shape puzzle without looking at it. In addition there is a “scent station” that challenges the visitor to identify different items based on smell.

The exhibit is the product of collaboration between Early Works staff and Somerset’s exhibit development team.

This photograph was uncovered by Somerset’s David Towry during the research for the project. “This rare image was just recently discovered in Boston. We were fortunate to discover the photo while developing the exhibit for Early Works. It was great timing” said Towry.

“We are incredibly excited about the addition of the Helen Keller exhibit to the EarlyWorks Children’s Museum. Helen’s story is exceptional inspirational and we look forward to sharing it with the children of North Alabama, stated Bart Williams, executive director of the EarlyWorks Family of Museums. “The exhibit is of the highest quality and really fits in with the rest of the museum’s offerings. Working with Somerset on this project has been a pleasure,” Williams continued.

The exhibit allows children to experience how the blind and deaf communicate and is designed specifically to appeal to elementary school children and their sense of exploration. It officially opened to the public as of August 25, 2012.

Somerset is an environment, exhibits and tradeshow company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. They have been developing environments and exhibits for a wide range of museums and corporations for almost twenty years. They have worked with the Smithsonian Institution, United States National Holocaust Memorial Museum, National Park Service, and US Navy to name a few.