I want to thank Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival Board members for helping with this effort. They put on a fantastic event every year and they are also helping to bring that same spirit to kids who don’t have the chance to zoom around.
About Geeks for Kids
Geeks for Kids builds custom electric cars and other assistive devices for kids with movement limitations; we empower kids to explore their world independently – often for the first time in their lives. With this freedom, they are no longer sitting on life’s sidelines, passive observers from strollers and wheelchairs.
Last year, my Rotary Club – Overland Park South – put the pedal to the medal and helped LEARN’s Geeks for Kids program give 64 more kids the #Power2Play. We raised over $20,000, volunteered hundreds of hours of our time and helped build 16 cars. On Delivery Day KC, our team turned out in force to help the kids drive for the first time, and it was AMAZING! The kids laughed and clapped. The parents and grandparents cried. It was clear that the freedom to explore, learn and play matters.
96,000 MOKAN kids have disabilities, but no child should sit on the sidelines, watching others run and play. They should be free to join in life’s fun. After all, play is the work of childhood. It is the way kids grow, learn and connect with others. But, our kids do not have the power to play. Some cannot walk. Others have different movement limitations. All of them are stuck on life’s sidelines.
In partnership with the all-volunteer team in LEARN’s Geeks for Kids program, we strive to change that. Together, we build custom electric cars and other assistive devices for kids’ specific needs. And every car, no matter how complex, is delivered at no cost to the recipient family.
Professional engineers, programmers, mechanics and other tech folk work with our high school and college students to build these cars, starting with children’s electric toy cars. As they build, our students apply the skills they learn in the classroom and the lab to designing and building real-world solutions for other kids.
Since 2019, LEARN’S Super Geeks has given 207 kids the Power to Play. We are working hard to get 70 or more kids with movement limitations racing this year.
Our kids need your help! The demand for cars and other assistive devices – for the freedom to run and play like other kids – is mushrooming but LEARN is struggling to build a fundraising engine to keep pace. Please join me in the campaign to give more kids with movement limitations the Power to Play. Keep in mind, every dollar donated goes to build cars. Here is how you can help:
- Donate – This year to get 70 or more kids racing, LEARN will have to raise more than $285,000. You can donate at: https://fundrazr.com/GeeksForKids-OPKSRotaryTeam1/ . You can also give your donation to me, and I will be happy to deliver it to LEARN for you.
- Sponsor – Corporate sponsorships are vital for both raising substantial funds and for recruiting volunteers to design and build these cars and other assistive devices. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities at https://geeks.learnscienceandmathclub.org/sponsor.
- Refer Kids – Nearly all the local pediatric physical therapy clinics refer kids to LEARN’s Geeks for Kids program, but not all kids are getting therapy. Our goal is to reach every child who would benefit; so, send them our way. It’s easy and free. Apply for or refer a child to: https://geeks.learnscienceandmathclub.org/apply-for-a-car .
Thank you for reading through this heartfelt appeal. I admit, I can never keep my eyes dry when I see a kid “racing around” for the first time in their life! It gets really hard to hear about the kids with terminal conditions who get to enjoy their car for just a short while. Please let me know if you have any questions or need further information. I would be delighted to share more with you.
Dan Whitney
1956 Austin Healey 100 (#56)
Danw.land@gmail.com
