Stateline Robotics Team 4655 has proven that FIRST Robotics is really more than just robots. The students and mentors recently completed a project for Jack, a local grade school student with Cerebral Palsy, that gives him the ability to be independently mobile for the first time.
Jack’s condition affects muscle tone, posture and body movement. His family received a grant for the Power Wheels Wild Thing motorized chair. However, it was not made for a child with cerebral palsy and needed some work. The family reached out to Stateline Robotics and asked for help.
The team started talking with the family and meeting with Jack to make-over his new “car”. After months of meetings, planning, rewiring, reprogramming, changing the seat, adding a new joystick and other improvements for Jack the team gave him his customized car on Wednesday, July 24th. The excitement in Jack and his family is infectious With practice he will be able to do so many things that seemed out of reach for so long.
Jack’s mom has said “The students may never know the real impact they are having on him (Jack) because it seems so simple. But they should know they are changing his life.”
Stateline Robotics is also working on instructions for how to make all of these changes, the instructions will include pictures, videos and a parts list with prices. They plan to share this with other robotics teams around the world.
The team is holding a press conference with the family on Monday< July 29th, 1pm at Hononegah. Please come learn more about Jack and his family, the Stateline Robotics Team 4655, and how this great project can help others around the world.
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Contact: Michael Dugan, Superintendent, 815-624-5009
About Hononegah Community High School District
Hononegah is a public school district in Rockton, Illinois, located between Rockford and the southern border of Wisconsin. The District serves over 2,100 students from the towns of Rockton, Roscoe, Shirland, and parts of South Beloit. The District provides an inspiring and challenging educational experience that promotes reflective critical thinking, civic engagement, and personal development.