Second annual “Go Baby Go” event marked a success at BHS

By Owen Lentner, Editor-in-Chief

The Go Baby Go event held at BHS last week brought together both students and families in the community with one goal: inclusion.

Go Baby Go is a national organization that works with Occupational and Physical Therapists around the US. Their goal is to give children with limited mobility ‘Power Wheels‘ ride on cars, but with a twist.

Many children with disabilities physically can’t drive these cars you’d find at Walmart or online, so the organization modifies the cars so they custom fit children with fine motor skill disabilities.

A crowd of specators, families, students and participants filled the BHS commons on Thursday, Dec. 11 for the event, which also featured a catered dinner and Christmas caroling provided by BHS students.

“It is a program that was developed out of the University of Delaware,” said BHS engineering teacher and the event’s coordinator, Jonathan Cap. “Occupational Therapists help customize the car so it fits each child and our engineering students, then, modify the cars for the children.”

Cap teaches a variety of engineering related electives at BHS. Among these is the “Hands-On Engineering” semester course, in which students learn the fundamentals of engineering and building.

Cap’s students are the ones that actually work on the cars, making the alterations that bring these cars to life for their user.

“Occupational and Physical Therapists found families that could benefit from a customized car,” Cap explained. “The children’s measurements were taken and brought back to us so we can modify the car specifically for each child.”

Southern Connecticut State University, who aided Cap in the logistical and engineering aspects, purchased seven Power Wheels cars, which Cap picked up the day prior to the event. Then, his students began working on the cars. Once finished, each child was presented with their custom-fitted car, free of charge.

“The main build consists of essentially rewiring the car. Instead of using the pedal as the accelerator, we changed it to a 3D printed ‘T-Bar’ handle, which makes it easier for children to grab,” he said.

Cap noted that the T-Bar handle is like a typical bike handle, and that a button was added on the handle that controlled the accelerator. All a child has to do is press the button to accelerate rather than use the pedals.

“There is also assisted steering on each car, so if a child is able to steer they can use the T-Bar themselves. There’s also essentially a tether system that’s hooked up so a parent could steer with them,” he explained.

They also add a five-point harness to secure the child in their car as well as foam padding for comfort.

“The students had directions that grad students created, and followed step by step. They got to use the tools, do the wiring, do the PVC cutting, and do all of it on their own,” Cap said.

They made seven total cars for children from around Connecticut; the children received their cars at the event that evening.

The reception kicked off with a special serenade from the high school choir: BHS Music Makers. The chorus sang a variety of Christmas songs for the families while they waited for their cars to be finished.

Then after the show, a full dinner was served to guests by the Cooking for a Cause program at the high school, run by foods teacher Mindy Baker.

Baker’s students cooked a full dinner consisting of macaroni, chicken, and a house salad for the guests.

Afterwards, the children received their cars and were able to test them out on a race track in the cafeteria. The idea of the race track, which Cap explained, was for the children to see how the cars felt and allowed them to voice any concerns.

If any issues arose, Cap’s engineering students took back the car to make quick modifications to make sure each car was comfortable.

“It was a memorable experience,” said sophomore Liam Fischer, who worked on the cars.

“The kids have so much fun,” said junior Masen Mervine. “The school staff and student volunteers work so hard to make it the best time possible for everyone. I’m very happy to say I have helped in such an important event.”

“We have such a great community here, and there’s great support from the administration. My classes were awesome; we gave it a whirl and it was a lot. I think the reward is well worth the work,” Cap concluded.

The event marked its second annual occurrence at BHS, with Cap citing he hopes to continue it next year.