Led by Linda Bedard, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, and Michelle Broggi, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, with support from Julie Booth, director of the Center for Interprofessional Healthcare Education, and numerous other Quinnipiac faculty, Go Baby Go is a program supported by the EQUIP Rehabilitation Clinic.

Broggi describes how Go Baby Go helps children in numerous ways.

“The mission of Go Baby Go is to provide opportunities for play and self-directed mobility for children of all abilities,” said Broggi. “ Self-directed mobility provides opportunities for more than movement, it opens doors for cognitive, social and language development and — most importantly — fun. Children go from sitting on the sidelines to being part of the action.”

With the team of students and professionals involved in this initiative, the impact of the program is growing.

“With this support, we are able to consistently host two events each year, allowing us to provide eight to 10 adapted cars annually,” said Broggi.

Working closely with faculty mentors, two physical therapy doctoral students, Liz Reverand ’24, DPT ’27, and Alexandra Tennon ’24, DPT ’27, helped bring this event to life as co-leaders. 

“Go Baby Go changes lives by providing children with mobility opportunities that allow them to explore their environment, interact with others and participate in activities that might otherwise be difficult,” said Tennon. “Increased mobility can support physical development, social engagement and independence as children grow, while also creating meaningful experiences for the entire family.”

The co-leaders played an integral role in preparations for Go Baby Go, including coordination of the event, communication with families through telehealth visits and collaboration with Quinnipiac occupational therapy and engineering students.

“One of the most special aspects of Go Baby Go is that it brings together students, faculty, families and community partners to create opportunities for children,” said Tennon. “Our student team members work incredibly hard to customize each car to meet not only the child's physical needs, but also their unique personality and interests, which is what makes the event so special. The program demonstrates how collaboration, innovation and compassion can come together to make a lasting impact, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”

In addition to students and faculty, the entire Quinnipiac community came together to support this program.

“We have received incredible support from our wonderful facilities team in North Haven,” said Broggi. “They assist us with troubleshooting, complex rewiring and seating modifications and they show up at every delivery event — handling setup, cleanup and any day of adjustments — and the events take place on weekends. They also contribute to our fundraising efforts — the list truly goes on. We could not run this program without their dedication and expertise.”

Not only did Go Baby Go provide a learning opportunity for the children involved, it also helped the students see the impact of their work.

“My biggest takeaway from Go Baby Go is the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in meeting the individualized needs of each child. Seeing the excitement on a child's face, or as we like to call them, our ‘little drivers,’ when they realize they can independently move and explore their surroundings is incredibly rewarding,” said Tennon.

For Reverand, this event taught her the importance of community engagement.

“This experience has opened my eyes to the importance and impact of volunteer work,” said Reverand. “I will definitely get involved in my community once I’m in my professional career so I can continue to give back to others. It’s such a rewarding experience, and why not use the knowledge and skills you have for good. There is no greater gift than having the ability to give back to others in a meaningful way.”

Reverand said that getting involved with EQUIP and the Go Baby Go program has helped to prepare her for her career after graduation.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to a program that provides meaningful, life-changing mobility devices for children and their families while gaining valuable experience in interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Reverand. “The growth I’ve had as an individual and a leader through this experience will make me a more effective clinician in my future practice, and for that I’m extremely grateful.”