Northwest Arkansas gave six kids custom ride-on cars

The Go Baby Go program at UAMS and the University of Arkansas handed out six modified ride-on cars this year, UAMS News reported. Distribution day was October 17 in the garage at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville. It was the program's third year. This branch is separate from Go Baby Go builds in other states.

Before the handoff, each of the six children and their families sat for an assessment with faculty, clinicians, and students from occupational therapy, physical therapy, medicine, and engineering. The cars were changed to match those needs. Engineering help came from the Biomedical Engineering Student Association and from mechanical engineering senior design teams. Amanda Troillett, a University of Arkansas faculty member who oversees the project, said people who are not clinicians still train on how to talk with families and how to check a seat. Before 2024, Northwest Arkansas families who wanted a car were sent to branches more than 300 miles away. Go Baby Go recognizes 25 branches in the country. The nearest others are in Lincoln, Nebraska, and St. Louis.