Just down the road from Disney World, Limbitless Solutions at the University of Central Florida (UCF) is a trailblazing nonprofit changing lives around the world through bionic arms made special for kids in need. Here’s how a Disney Grant is helping expand its impact and fund the future of the organization.
Creating Super Hero Bionics at Limbitless Solutions
In Florida, Disney Grants help support nonprofits that strive to improve the lives of residents in local communities. One such nonprofit is Limbitless Solutions. A visit to Limbitless Solutions is like walking straight into Iron Man’s lab as some of the brightest minds are working with advanced tech to build personalized bionics. In fact, Iron Man himself presented one of the UCF-made bionics that was inspired by the Super Hero to one of the organization’s first “bionic kids.”
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the organization has grown from its founder’s kitchen table to an esteemed program that employs 50+ undergraduate students who are making a huge difference in the lives of families around the world with even MORE growth on the horizon.
“We are so grateful for the opportunity to grow our program and its impact,” said Albert Manero,Co-Founder and Executive Director of UCF’s Limbitless Solutions Program. “The grant from Disney will enable our program to provide more opportunities that can unleash the potential of our students and create magical moments for our bionic kids and families.”
How Disney Grants Fund Futures at the University of Central Florida
This most recent $80,000 Disney Grant is funding 16 UCF students’ participation in the program as part of the various STEAM degrees they’re working toward and is all part of our company’s Disney Future Storytellers initiative.
“I am profoundly grateful for the invaluable experience I was able to receive at Limbitless Solutions throughout my undergraduate career with the support from Disney,” said Courtney Williams, a student at UCF. “The research and professional development skills I gained here greatly prepared me to pursue my master’s degree in the fall.”
Previous Disney Grants have helped the organization upgrade their tech – even funding the purchase of a spray-painting robotic arm that brings the creative bionic designs that are personalized to each limb recipient to life.
From Super Heroes to royalty and everything in between – the bionics’ cosmetics created are inspired by the kids as they pick out paint colors and patterns themed to characters they draw inspiration and strength from.
Building Hope for Florida Families and More
Beyond the bionics themselves, the team at Limbitless is building hope for families in need, helping kids grow their confidence and achieve things they never thought possible – like Annika Emmert, a past limb recipient who now is an undergraduate student researcher for the organization.
“My main goal from the time I was in fourth grade was to go to UCF to support and work for Limbitless – and now I am,” said Annika.
One of the ways the team helps build confidence is through its Gamified Training Program which is made possible by some of the brilliant minds and professors at UCF’s School of Visual Arts and Design and the School of Communication and Media.
Learning how to use a bionic arm can be challenging, and through this program, bionic kids learn how to control their prosthetic through video games, earning achievements and unlocking complex challenges that correspond to muscle gestures needed to control the bionic arm.
The grants provided by Disney in Florida help support the meaningful work of organizations like Limbitless for years to come so that more children can accomplish their goals.
Disney in Florida: A Continued Commitment to Giving Back
Since first opening Disney World in 1971, Disney has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in financial and in-kind donations to nonprofit organizations doing amazing work in Florida.
Limbitless was one of 19 Florida nonprofit organizations that recently received a Disney Grant with $1.5 million given in total to help create positive change in the state. The supported efforts range from establishing strong education and workforce development programs to supporting the arts, combatting homelessness and hunger and more.
To read more about these efforts, visit DisneyFlorida.com.