In the business of making a difference

Noah Pukkila is on a mission to increase awareness about dyslexia.

The Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy eighth-grader has the developmental reading disorder.

"I have a disorder that prevents me from reading up to standard, but the school system in Idaho doesn't accept dyslexia as a learning disability," Noah said.

The Post Falls resident makes a family-oriented yard game out of wood called Finn Pin and has sold it during the past two summers at the Kootenai County Farmers' Market for $25.

"I've raised $1,500 and I hope to get a car with it some day," he said. "I start drivers' education in five months."

While creating one of the games, Noah placed a number on a pin backward. Rather than throw it away and start over, he had the fun idea to continue on and make it a dyslexia set.

"It looks exactly like what a lot of dyslexics see it as - the numbers are scrambled," he said.

Noah calls it his "dyslexia awareness edition."

Noah's father Marko is Finnish. Hence, the name of the game.

In the game, 12 pins with numbers are set up. Points are earned when pins with the corresponding numbers are knocked over with a "throw pin" or when multiple pins are knocked over. The object is to reach exactly 50 points. If you go over, you have to go back to 25 points.

Noah will sell his game at the Kootenai County Farmers Winter Market at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds on Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"I think selling is one of my gifts and talents," Noah said. "Being an entrepreneur gives me confidence in what I do. My dyslexia awareness game will be ready to be sold along with the other games."

Noah's mother Alyssa calls Noah "quite the sales person."

"It's a huge self-esteem booster," Alyssa said. "It gives him the drive to overcome deficits. He sees the value of being in business for himself."

Noah said he doesn't see dyslexia as a challenge.

"I just see (reading) as somebody else's strength," Noah said.

Noah was home-schooled until the sixth grade.

"His aspiration is to go to college and we know he'll have to work at it if that's what he wants," Alyssa said.

Noah also uses a creative mind to draw characters such as turtles and lizards.

Noah said he'd like to be a business owner.

"There's a lot of great minds today who have dyslexia, such as Ty (Pennington) from Extreme Home Makeover," he said.