Class of 1981 Gift Recharges
GoBabyGo Electric Cars

Thanks to a recent gift from New Trier Class of 1981, the GoBabyGo program will continue to receive the funding it needs for the next several years.

Since the Fall semester, New Trier engineering students have been modifying and adapting electric toy vehicles for children living with spina bifida and other significant mobility impairments. Matched through an ongoing partnership with the Illinois Spina Bifida Association, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and True North the vehicles were adjusted and fitted for the young recipients during two of the school’s annual, on-site GoBabyGo workshops.

GoBabyGo is a program founded at the University of Delaware with a mission to increase mobility and quality of life solutions for children whose access to such may be limited during their early developmental years. Through the modification of ride-on cars, children with disabilities are provided with a means to explore their world and gain independence. Since its inception. the program has expanded to schools and service groups around the world.

Students enrolled in Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) at both campuses worked in teams to assemble and modify over 40 power wheel cars, which they donated to the children and made adjustments as needed to provide them with a chance to explore independent mobility.

Currently in its third year offering the GoBabyGo project, the New Trier Applied Arts Department received a $10,000 Marran Grant from the New Trier Educational Foundation (NTEF) to support this continuing partnership. As enrollment in the course has increased, students have been able to customize the vehicles in smaller groups than the past, resulting in a deeper, more hands-on experience.