CONCORD, NC – On May 19, 2018, paint and coatings manufacturer Axalta Coating Systems partnered with Atrium Health’s Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital, Hendrick Motorsports, LP Building Products and GoBabyGo! to build custom vehicles for children from the Charlotte area with mobility issues. At Axalta’s Customer Experience Center (CEC) on the Hendrick Motorsports campus in Concord, North Carolina, company and partner representatives modified motorized toy cars for use by special needs children who have difficulty walking or crawling.

Retrofitted cars promote independent mobility, which helps to develop cognitive, social, motor and language skills in younger children who are not able to freely move on their own. Construction team members received the story of a specific child and the custom plans for his or her car.  They set about making the modifications and decorated the vehicles to match the unique personality of each child. The children then test drove the cars to ensure comfort and correct fit and after final modifications, they were cheered on by their families and the construction teams during an emotional victory lap inside the CEC.

“We’re proud to call Charlotte one of our hometowns and are so happy that our employees and LP Building Products, one of our great partners, got to put their engineering skills to good use to help families from the community,” said Axalta’s Michael Cash, Senior Vice President and President, Industrial Coatings. “It is truly inspiring to meet the kids and families served by the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital, listen to their stories and know that we are helping them enjoy the gift of movement.”