More than 60 volunteers created specially modified toy cars and playground equipment for children with significant mobility impairments during the GoBabyGo Workshop in the new Center for Innovation in Medical Professions at Cleveland State University.

The event on October 24 was a celebration of Make a Difference Day, a national day of community service.

Undergraduate and graduate students from CSU and Case Western Reserve University teamed up with faculty and community members to make electrical and mechanical modifications to toy ride-on cars and playground equipment for families with special-needs children.

 “We were successfully able to complete all the projects – with lots of smiles from the families and kids who attended,” said Dr. Madalynn Wendland, assistant clinical professor in CSU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

For their part, the children learned to operate the cars and playground equipment as they practiced sitting, standing and walking.

CSU recently was named a major hub for GoBabyGo, a national initiative to promote mobility across the lifespan, with funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Research has shown that independent mobility positively impacts motor, cognitive, language and social-emotional development, particularly from birth to 5 years of age.

Get the full story on CSU's ENGAGED blog.