High School Robotics Club Surprises 4-Year-Old With Special Needs

ELK GROVE (CBS13) — A group of high school students with a shared interest in robotics worked together to surprise a younger kid with special needs on Friday.

Julien getting in his new motorized vehicle. (credit: Elk Grove Unified School District)

The Pleasant Grove High School Robotics Club partnered with "Go Baby Go" to modify a Power Wheels toy vehicle, providing a student with special needs with a new ride.

Arnold Adreani Elementary student Julien, 4, has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound. The Robotics Club students put a gaming joystick in one of the two toy vehicles so Julien can control it like it's a video game. They say this will allow him to move more freely around in his neighborhood and on the playground.

A school district spokesperson said the goal of the gift is to provide Julien with "a more cost-effective and fun 'wheelchair' that does not cost thousands of dollars like motorized wheelchairs do."

On Friday, Julien, who is the youngest of five adopted children, received the two vehicles at Pleasant Grove High School. He rode in the vehicle down a track, crossing a finish line in front of a cheering crowd.