Monday, June 23, 2025
AUBURN, Ind. — Mayor Dave Clark took time Friday, June 20 to travel to the campus of Butler University to support two area teen entrepreneurs, who were taking part in the Innovate WithIN 2025 State Finals.
Kyla LaRue, a senior at DeKalb High School, and Lydia Yoder, a 2025 graduate of DeKalb High School founded True Blue, a business focused on raising awareness about Type 1 diabetes in 2023. Their diabetes awareness program specializes in educational classroom sessions, interactive activities, and awareness products for educators to utilize.
Kyla and Lydia pitched their business plan to a panel of judges during the competition as one of ten teams and individuals vying for the $25,000 grand prize. Although they didn’t place in the top three, the girls proudly represented DeKalb High School and DeKalb County with respect and professionalism.
Kyla and Lydia’s goal is to empower young students with knowledge and understanding of this important health issue. They aim to eliminate stereotypes and common misconceptions from a young age.
Their business offers in class presentation focused on elementary age students along with remote experiences.
Educational materials utilized include diabetes bingo, coloring pages, stickers, bookmarks, and children’s book “Ava’s Adventure” which tells the story of Kyla’s little sister Ava who has Type 1 diabetes. Other items available include shirts, tote bags and plush bears. The girls’ donate 10% of all profits to Breakthrough T1D, formerly known as JDRF.
To learn more about Kyla and Lydia’s business visit www.trueblueeducation.com or follow them on Instagram and YouTube.
Innovate WithIN is designed to teach students how to come up with a business idea, develop it and tell the story of the business with confidence. The program offers year-long programming that teaches students to view the world through a lens of entrepreneurship and innovation.