This page is no longer active. Please go to http://www.helpinghandproject.org to keep up with our group.

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The Helping Hand Project, started by Jeff Powell (jeffp@live.unc.edu), a UNC-Chapel Hill biomedical engineering student, revolves around the idea of using 3D printing technology to help create affordable prosthetic hands which are donated to children with disabilities.

Our story began with 7-year-old Holden Mora, who was born with symbrachydactyly, a condition where the hand stops developing early in amniotic development. Holden is the first child in Chapel Hill to receive one of the hands. More info here: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1179111

Using existing designs, the Helping Hand Project makes prosthetic hands using 3-D printing, a cost-effective method that allows us to make custom plastics at a very cheap price. Using this technology and common mechanical parts, the final design costs less than $30 of materials. Traditional prosthetics costs hundred if not thousands of dollars, which can create a heavy financial burden on a family. This burden is multiplied as kids will outgrow prosthetics in a short time. Our goal is to relieve this burden and reach kids who would otherwise go without a prosthesis.

The Helping Hand Project plans to continue making prosthetics for Holden as he outgrows them, make prosthetics for others, and also keep improving the design. Every bit of support you can give us in helping us move forward in our goal is much needed and greatly appreciated. Your donation will go to funding materials and tools needed to build these hands as well as foam grips and other tools to help assist children in reaching their full potential with a prosthetic hand.

We hope to use other advancements in technology (like the Open Hand Project) to eventually provide children with disabled hands a prosthetic that is indistinguishable from a human hand. Your donations will help provide children with good prosthetics today and even better prosthetics in the future.

If you know of anyone who may receive benefit from this project, would like to help out in any way, or have trouble with the site, please email Jeff Powell at jeffp@live.unc.edu

Notice: The Helping Hand Project, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the State of North Carolina. The corporation has applied for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service under § 501(c)(3) of the Treasury Code. In the event the corporation’s application for tax-exempt status is approved by the Internal Revenue Service, all donations made to the Helping Hand Project, Inc. on or after March 13, 2015 will be tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted under § 501(c)(3). The Helping Hand Project cannot guarantee that donations made on or after March 13, 2015 will be tax deductible under § 501(c)(3). All donors will be notified, in writing, as to the Internal Revenue Service’s final determination of the Helping Hand Project’s application for tax-exempt status.