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The group of Wooster freshmen has successfully modified nearly a dozen Power Wheels cars for children with physical disabilities through the Go Baby Go Mobility Program, which is in its second year.
Students meet with each child and their family prior to designing the vehicle to better understand their needs. After taking measurements, assessing each child's challenges and asking questions about where the child will be driving, the students modify the cars to be one of a kind vehicles that the children can drive on their own.
The group noted that Conner was a fan of Captain American and incorporated a red color scheme for his vehicle.
“Before the students customized the car’s aesthetics for Conner, they had to take a close look at the design,” said Kim Gerardi, Makerspace teacher at Wooster, “Conner needed to operate the vehicle by the push of a button and a stick shift rather than holding down a pedal with his foot.”
Conner was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Student Todd Blamires brought Conner's story to the attention of his classmates.
“We wanted to help him and we knew we had the opportunity with Go Baby Go,” said Blamires. He spear-headed an early morning pancake breakfast to raise money for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research.
“I am proud of this group of students because they were so dedicated to making this car the best they could for Conner," added Gerardi. "We can only hope for more Go Baby Go candidates to engage students in this meaningful program."
Conner's finished vehicle features the mechanism from a different car as well as its own juice box holder.
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