Sixth graders skip recess, create a motorized toy car for 4-year-old who can’t walk

Tiahnah Taylor is a 4-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Due to her limited mobility, she cannot get around without the assistance of somebody else. This changed one day though when she was contacted by some sixth-grade students that made something for her they thought would help.

Michelle Kim and Maria McClive, two sixth grade students at a school called CrossRoads Intermediate have spent their free time helping redesign a motorized toy car into a fully functional vehicle for Tiahnah. Contacted by District Five specialists in order to find some help for Tiahnah, Dr. Chris Craft went to Michelle and Maria to help him with this special project.

“It is absolutely heartwarming to see my kids dedicating their time, their energy, they have given up recess, they have given up as much time as they can, just to work on a project like this,” said Dr. Chris Craft.

By adding a full control system into the otherwise basic toy car, Michelle and Maria were able to give Tiahnah full control as she sat inside. Michelle and Maria hoped to create a way for Tiahnah to move around by herself, and by outfitting this toy car with special controls, they provided her with a fun new way to get around on her own.

“No longer will be people staring at her because of all the sorriness, but people will be staring at her because they feel jealous that she has an awesome car,” Michelle told reporters.

Michelle and Maria did not want to stop at just the functionality of the car though, and they wanted to be sure Tiahnah could drive around in something that was fun and colorful as well. By giving the car a whole new paint job, and applying graphics of stars, bows, and even Tiahnah’s own name onto the car, they created a truly unique ride. To make sure Tiahnah was safe whenever using the vehicle, they even installed a seat belt for her.

“Just to know that you do have somebody there that is wanting to help out and make a difference in the world…it was kind of cool,” Tiahnah’s mother said.

By spending their recess and lunch breaks to work on this incredible project, Michelle Kim and Maria McClive were able to create an incredible solution for Tiahnah’s challenges with moving around independently. It is truly inspiring to see children so young going out of their way to specially design something for a younger child who could use some help.

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