Bike rides, beach days, trips to the park – these are all staples of childhood that kids with disabilities want to experience. They want to be active and mobile like other children in their communities.

But the durable medical equipment necessary to give these kids the independence they desire is often too expensive for many families, especially those with a low household income or too many other expenses necessary for raising a child with special needs. And insurance isn’t always the answer - in many cases, devices like adaptive bikes and special needs strollers are denied, despite their immense physical and therapeutic benefits, because insurance doesn’t consider them to be necessary items. Even wheelchairs can take up to two years to be funded by insurance.

This is where Variety steps in. Variety Kids on the Go! aims to help kids gain mobility, confidence, freedom, independence and the chance to join in the life of their community by providing funding for walkers, wheelchairs, specially-designed adaptive bikes, strollers, prosthetic limbs and other devices to families with the most need. The program also puts more Sunshine Coaches, specially-equipped passenger vans, on the road to provide mobility-disadvantaged children with much-needed transportation to medical care, school, and outreach activities.