Our Story
Kathryn and Steven Vancamp, the founders, are Port Huron, MI residents and the parents of four children. The couple attended a Go Baby Go event to modify a car for their 2 year old son in 2015. In the summer of 2017 their son, Isaac, was ready for the next size car. Inspired by their son's love of his powerwheel, the mobility it offered him that he wasn't able to achieve on his own or with a regular wheelchair, and the social interaction the modified car brought their son, they decided they would bring that same joy to other children throughout Michigan. MI Kids On The Move was born in their backyard in June and, with the help of their community and parents participating in the program, they provided 10 modified cars through a child sponsor program in 2 months. The cars went to children with diagnosis that ranged from mild cerebral palsy to catastrophic brain injury.
Kathy and Steve began meeting with local Kiwanis after meeting with Bay Area member, and now Networking officer of MI Kids On The Move, Dave Malkiewicz. Around the same time Kathy and Steve made contact with Blue Water Area Robotics Alliance member Sebastien Cournoyer. The three groups teamed up to run a pilot program in October 2017 to provide 5 more cars to children with limited mobility. During the event Kathy and Steve introduced their prototype for a manual wheelchair, inspired by the bumbo wheelchair Kathy had seen on a cerebral palsy facebook group. They loved that the chair is low to the ground to promote social interaction with peers and is usable by children under 3 who cant get a chair covered by medicaid. They adapted it to make it their own with the help of a little girl who received the chair when it was finished and a second product was born.
MI Kids On The Move currently work with children in St. Clair and surrounding counties but hopes to have programs all across Michigan in an effort to make sure all Michigan kids are on the move.
Kathy and Steve began meeting with local Kiwanis after meeting with Bay Area member, and now Networking officer of MI Kids On The Move, Dave Malkiewicz. Around the same time Kathy and Steve made contact with Blue Water Area Robotics Alliance member Sebastien Cournoyer. The three groups teamed up to run a pilot program in October 2017 to provide 5 more cars to children with limited mobility. During the event Kathy and Steve introduced their prototype for a manual wheelchair, inspired by the bumbo wheelchair Kathy had seen on a cerebral palsy facebook group. They loved that the chair is low to the ground to promote social interaction with peers and is usable by children under 3 who cant get a chair covered by medicaid. They adapted it to make it their own with the help of a little girl who received the chair when it was finished and a second product was born.
MI Kids On The Move currently work with children in St. Clair and surrounding counties but hopes to have programs all across Michigan in an effort to make sure all Michigan kids are on the move.