Go Baby Go: Fueled by charity, equity, joy and hope

Professor Megan MacDonald, Shirley Currey, Crystal Urban, Associate Professor Sam Logan, Peggy Aeh and Sandy Myhrvold

The Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) recently provided about $4,000 in vehicles and $38,000 to support Go Baby Go, a community outreach program housed in the College of Health that provides modified ride-on vehicles to children experiencing disability.

F.O.E. State Madam President Peggy Aeh said she learned about the program several years ago and was part of a group that held a monthlong fundraiser that garnered about $1,000 in one month. That success inspired her, and she made a mental note of it for when she became president.

“Every state madam president (auxiliary) and state worthy president (aerie) chooses a project near and dear to them for their year,” she says. “I chose Go Baby Go because I believe in your mission. I was blessed with three healthy children, but I know others who have not. So, I wanted to do something to give back. The fact that these units are given to the families at no charge is amazing. Our organization, the F.O.E., prides itself in donating millions of dollars every year to several children’s charities, as well as others.”

The F.O.E., an international non-profit founded in 1898 in Seattle, unites “fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice and equality to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills and promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope.”

As state madam president, Peggy visited every auxiliary in the state and held drawings and raffled items that were donated or purchased. Each of the 21 auxiliaries donated money, as well as three districts, and Peggy also applied for and received a couple of grants from the Grand Aerie. The hope, she says, is that the program won’t need to purchase cars for a while and that more families can be part of the program.

“I’m very grateful for all the time and effort spent in fundraising for the Go Baby Go program,” says Associate Professor Sam Logan, who brought Go Baby Go to Oregon State. “This gift will help the program tremendously and will have a lasting impact on children and families across Oregon.”