Lilypad Project

About

The Lilypad Project, adopted by 2468, provides hand-painted wooden attachments for IV poles. Kids sit on lilypad-shaped seats while their parents walk them down hospital halls, giving kids mobility and putting smiles on their faces. We cut, prepare, hand-paint, and deliver these Lilypads to hospitals across Austin and near every regional we attend, having donated 188 so far. We have also partnered with local schools to design and decorate these Lilypads and are reaching out to other robotics teams and schools out of the state.

800+

Hours of Manufacturing & Painting

25

Hospitals

196

Lilypads Donated

12

Painting Sessions

16

States

Lilypad Order Form

Name

First Name

Last Name

Purpose

Are you interested in a donation of a Lilypad or do you want to make/decorate one yourself?

Donation of Lilypads

Learn How To Make Lilypads

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History

In February 2015, a great kid passed away. His name was Nick Konkler, a student who designed and developed a project to help others that would grow bigger than himself. As a child, he was frequently in and out of the hospital, fighting a brain tumor and two bouts of AML Leukemia. While in the hospital, he noticed that children had a difficult time walking with their large IV poles. Nick wanted to make the IV poles easier to deal with and more enjoyable, so he designed a wooden platform that fit on the bottom of IV poles, where kids could sit and be pushed around. He planned on completing his project and putting the Lilypads into use when he got out of the hospital. Unfortunately, Nick never did get to see his project to completion.

That same year, the wife of Westlake Assistant Principal Casey Ryan heard about the project and asked Team Appreciate if we would like to start up the project in our local community. We wholeheartedly agreed to continue Nick’s legacy. Since 2015, FRC 2468 has continued Nick’s legacy by bringing together students in the community to design, handmake, and paint wooden seats for IV poles (“Lilypads”), so that children can have a safe and fun place to sit when moving with their heavy IV poles around hospitals.

Join the Initiative!

If your team is interested in manufacturing Lilypads, click here to visit our Lilypad in a Box page for further information and resources!