Kids Helping Kids, Reimagined: Local High School Student Leads Robotics Team in Life-Changing Service Project

Jack Khachatryan, a senior at the Waterford School, has been passionate about giving back to Shriners Children's Salt Lake City for as long as he can remember. From organizing childhood fundraisers to volunteering in the seating and mobility department, Jack's journey came full circle when his robotics team helped the Shriners Children's Salt Lake City team build life-changing Baby Bug Learning Toy mobility devices for families.

The Early Days

Jack's connection to Shriners Children's Salt Lake City began with lemonade - or so it seems. In reality, it began with his mom, Emily Tyler, a physician assistant at Shriners Children's Salt Lake City. But lemonade is where his philanthropic journey with the organization truly started.

At age 5, Jack and his twin sister were looking for something to do on a hot summer day and eventually landed on the most lucrative activity for two 5-year-olds: having a lemonade stand. Unsurprisingly the stand was a hit, and the twins were very pleased with their earnings and probably had big plans on how they wanted to spend it. That was until Emily approached them with a different idea, suggesting they donate the money to Shriners Children's Salt Lake City.

"At first, we thought, 'this is our hard-earned lemonade money, we aren't going to do that,' but my mom convinced us," Khachatryan said. "Since then, it kind of turned into a tradition that we just kept going for years and years."

Over time, their lemonade stand evolved into a fundraising effort the twins named Kids Helping Kids. At these stands, there was no set price, but after learning that all proceeds would be donated to Shriners Children's Salt Lake City, people would pay up to $15 for a cup of lemonade. According to Emily, the siblings ended up raising quite a bit of money for the organization.

The Idea

As he got older, Jack continued to support the organization by volunteering over the summer, and most recently worked as a volunteer in the seating and mobility department with physical therapist Scott Jerome.

It was a great fit for Jack. Working in the department gave him a great place to practically apply the knowledge and skills he'd gained over the year being a part of his high school's robotics team.

"I learned a lot working up there," Khachatryan said. "Just getting better at building different things, working with my hands, and then eventually Scott introduced me to the Baby Bug project."

The Baby Bug Learning Toy (BBLT) is a two-motor mobility device created by Shriners Children's Salt Lake City physical therapists, and is explicitly designed for infants with mobility impairments who cannot move independently and are too small to use a wheelchair.

"This device has been a game-changer for infants with mobility impairments. We've always wanted to make these devices more accessible to families, but building each one takes time and resources," Jerome said. "When Jack started working with us, it was clear he had the skills to build a BBLT, so we had him run with it."

As Jack was building his first BBLT, he realized his robotics team could probably help build more, and he brought that idea to Scott.

"I knew that my peers were very capable, and it just felt like the perfect opportunity to combine our skills on a robotics team while also giving back to our local community," Khachatryan said.

From there, Jack presented the idea to the head of the robotics department at Waterford, James Harris, and robotics team captain, Toby Bookman.

"When Jack came to me with this project, I thought it was a great idea," Bookman said. "I thought it would be a good project for the team and a way for us to give back to the community."

The Collaboration: Kids Helping Kids Part Two

Surprisingly enough, convincing a group of high schoolers to give up their Friday night to build BBLTs turned out to be one of the easier parts of this project - a true testament to both Toby's leadership as team captain and Jack's passion for giving back to Shriners Salt Lake City. The real challenge was in the month of preparation leading up to the builds.

To ensure the BBLT project ran smoothly, Jack and Toby first tackled their own BBLT build. Along the way, they took detailed notes on areas where instructions could be clearer, identified ways to streamline the process, and worked out the most effective methods for guiding their peers. By mastering the ins and outs of the BBLT device, they prepared themselves to answer any questions during the build day.

"It's been neat to see how they've problem-solved through this kind of project with its challenges and complexities, and how they've worked to involve their friends with less experience," Harris said. "They took on the more complex steps themselves, allowing newcomers to contribute by taking on simpler tasks."

Some of the more complex preparations at Waterford involved in-house 3D printing and computer numerical control machining, a process that automates the precise cutting and shaping of materials.

"There were a couple of bumps along the way - our 3D printers didn't like some of the filament we used - but thankfully, people in the valley were super-supportive and stepped in to help us print what we needed," Khachatryan said. "The week before, the builds got a little hectic with making sure we had a good turnout, setting up toolkits, and wrapping up all the last-minute prep."

All of their hard work came together on a Friday night in October when the robotics lab filled with students eager to dive into the project.

The students were split into four teams, each responsible for building one BBLT. Over the next few hours, Jack and Toby guided them through each step, offering hands-on assistance and troubleshooting when necessary. By the end of a late evening, every team had successfully completed their BBLT, and the satisfying conclusion to the project was marked with a celebratory group photo of the students with their finished BBLTs, with Jack and Toby standing among them, beaming like proud parents.

The Impact

For the Waterford robotics team, this project was unlike any other. Normally focused on competitive robotics, the team, with the support and help of the faculty, took on the unique challenge of using their skills to make a difference in their community.

"[This project] is a perfect application of skills that we're developing here," Harris said. "It's an exciting application that they're not used to and has a different and deeper meaning for them."

Over the course of the project, the team donated more than 100 hours of service and built five BBLTs. After a final quality inspection by Scott Jerome, the Baby Bug Learning Toys will be distributed to families with a child who could benefit from using the device.

"What these students have done will change lives," Jerome said. "Every Baby Bug Learning Toy they built represents an infant who will gain new opportunities for exploration, play and independence. I can't thank them enough for their hard work and dedication. It's inspiring to see young people use their skills to make such a meaningful difference in our community."