Early Mobility Is Critical For Development
Mobility in children is not just about getting from place to place. It is also about exploring the world in a way that allows for independence and healthy brain development.
Mobile wheelchairs are expensive and are not available to children without the ability to use a mobile chair. This inexpensive alternative helps a child develop essential mobility skills much earlier. A Sunshine Scooter can change a child’s life.
What is
a Sunshine Scooter?
A Sunshine Scooter is a powered, ride-on scooter for special needs children who cannot use a mobile wheel chair. Each scooter is customized to the child’s unique needs.
About
My name is Tim Emerson. I live in Titusville Florida with my wife Paula. When our beautiful granddaughter, Synnove, was born, we were told she might not survive her many challenges. What we didn’t know at the time, she would teach us more about life and determination than we could have ever imagined. After we retired, we decided to use our time and skills to help special needs children.
Synnove inspired me to help children like her with their development and mobility needs. I saw the possibility of adapting an existing scooter made for small children to fit the needs of children with physical and/or developmental limitations. After developing a prototype, I worked with volunteers with different interests and skills to perfect the Sunshine Scooter. We have been very fortunate to meet wonderful people along the journey to help us with this project. I could not have done this without Hans Berger, Chris Scheidel, Richard Sullivan, Don Calderwood and Jan Thibodeau. I would also like to thank Melinda Brault with Geminye Design Group and Dave Busch for the development and funding of this website.
Today, we work with physical therapists, doctors and volunteers to accomplish our goal of providing mobility to children. We are proud to offer a device that is both fun and teaches critical skills to children who might not otherwise have the experience of control over their mobility.
How are we Funded?
Sunshine Scooters is 100% donation funded.
We are an approved nonprofit and your donations are 100% tax deductible. We accept financial and material donations.
Join Us
Our primary mission is to provide modified, ride-on scooters for special needs children to use as a powered mobility device for fun and function.
We are fortunate to have a group of volunteers that help fulfill this mission. If you would like to volunteer your time and expertise, please contact us.
Building Your Scooter
It takes approximately 32 volunteer hours to build a scooter. Our electronics are designed, programmed and built by our crew. We design and build most of our parts on a 3D printer and a CNC machine. Industrial CNC improves build time, enables custom designs and improved quality. 3D printers make custom parts that would be too costly to have manufactured by others. There are a total of 18 printed parts on each scooter. Once fabricated, the parts are ready for the paint booth. Our spray booth allows for a great finish.
Contact us here for more information.
FREquently Asked questions
Scooter Family
A picture is worth a thousand words. Meet the newest members of our scooter family.
Contact us
Do you need more information or would you like to help?
We can Zoom, Facetime, phone or answer by email. Look forward to hearing from you!