Article by Tory Kolkhorst |  Photos by Arianna Skoog

My son, Crew, was born on November 15, 2021, weighing just one pound, due to his premature birth at 25 weeks of gestation. After an extended, yet victorious 115-day stay in St. Vincent Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, we were discharged with a profound sense of relief and hope for Crew’s future. Coming home equipped with oxygen tanks and feeding tubes until Crew could breathe and eat independently, my husband and I knew that his developmental journey would be different, and we questioned what mobility might look like for him as he grew. How long would it take to sit up, crawl, stand, and walk? Would he be able to keep up with his big sister, Kennedy? Doctors and pediatric specialists suggested that he would catch up to his full-term peers around the age of two, but as his mom, I always knew that Crew would forge his own path, and we would be on his time, not anyone else’s.

Fast forward to fall 2024. At three years old, Crew was not yet consistently walking on his own, but he remained determined, making steady progress through weekly physical, occupational, and speech therapy sessions. That’s when his dedicated team at LEAF Pediatric Therapy Clinic recommended he apply for the Billings Career Center’s GoBabyGo! Program, a unique, student-led initiative that partners local families with engineering students to create custom-modified ride-on toy cars designed for children with diverse needs and abilities. Our family completed the application and met with the GoBabyGo! team to discuss Crew’s interests and therapy goals to determine how to best move forward with a build that would be both exciting and motivating as he worked to improve his mobility. The team members included Billings Career Center students Ainsley Lennick, Cooper Cavanaugh, Chris Pfeffer, and Eric Talafuse, led by Engineering Instructor Mr. Eric Anderson.

“After our first meeting with Crew, we knew that we wanted to incorporate his interests as much as possible, while also including some physical therapy elements. Ultimately, we decided on constructing a golf cart out of the pre-existing car. For this, we had to design, model, and 3-D print pieces that would allow us to connect PVC pipes to the car.” These pipes served as the poles of the golf cart and, ultimately, provided the main support for the roof. “For physical therapy, we decided that adding a whiteboard to the ceiling would allow Crew to practice fine motor skills while simultaneously practicing lifting his arms above his head…We also added some buttons for fine and gross motor practice,” shared graduating senior Ainsley Lennick.

The car also features a custom seat, music buttons programmed with Crew’s favorite songs, sensory tools, and a steering wheel with a thumb-button-operated motor for improving dexterity. Complete with a camouflage exterior, yellow paint, and a 3-D printed golf putter and bucket of golf balls, Crew enjoys moving in and out of his special car to practice his putting skills.

Ainsley continued,“This program is completely voluntary. It is not a class, it is not a credit; it is an independent study where 3 to 4 students spend their free time trying to help those around them in their community. We are the only team in Montana, and one of very few high school teams located in the United States. The program should be more widespread and more available to those who want to make a difference… All children deserve to experience childhood mobility, and it is something that you come to realize is a privilege when you work with small kids who can't experience it like their peers.”

Ainsley and her teammates dedicated roughly 75 hours to creating Crew’s one-of-a-kind adaptive car, thoughtfully integrating elements that reflect his favorite things, special interests, and therapy goals. And Crew’s favorite part of the finished product? “It’s yellow!” he exclaimed.

Mobility isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey, especially for children with different abilities and developmental delays. For Crew, that journey has included pediatric ankle-foot orthotics, gait training walkers, and consistent physical therapy sessions since his hospital discharge. Each tool has played an important role in helping him move toward greater independence. His new custom car from GoBabyGo! has added an exciting new chapter to that journey. It’s not just about movement; it’s also about building confidence and creating moments of joy.

As Crew grows and keeps up with his big sister, Kennedy, he’s also becoming a role model for his new baby brother, Cooper. Along the way, he continues to remind our entire family just how meaningful even the smallest victories can be.

Originally printed in the September 2025 issue of Simply Local Magazine

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