'It makes me happy': 7-year-old getting new prosthetic hand, thanks to high school students

Updated: 6:49 AM EDT Aug 13, 2021

High school students in Buffalo, New York, are working on a pretty special project: a prosthetic hand for a 7-year-old in their community. Josiah Clarke was born with one hand, but his dad said he's learned how to do everything a typical kid his age would do."He's a normal kid. He does everything. He plays soccer, plays basketball, plays skateboards, rollerblades, dirt bike," Joel Clarke told WKBW. "He's shown us he does everything. He plays video games with his nub."Now, Josiah is excited about the possibility of a second hand, thanks to the AT&T Hand In Hand program, sponsored by WNY STEM Hub. which has teenagers building adaptive devices."To be able to see him now and bring his ideas to life — the colors he wanted and everything, it's very impactful," said Elias Humphrey, a high school senior.The program allows students to learn about digital literacy and the impacts technology can have on people like Josiah."Students are the ones that make adjustments. In this case, we made a specialized hand for him to use on his dirt bike," said Simone Ragland, the executive Director of WNY STEM Hub. It's the first thing Josiah says he'll use his new hand for. "It makes me happy," he said. "Thank you."

Calls for enhanced pedestrian safety efforts are growing one week after a 7-year-old girl was hit and killed in Avondale. The girls were not in a crosswalk when they were hit near the intersection of Vine and Ehrman streets.

Shareese Lattimore was one of two 7-year-olds police say were running across the street Tuesday afternoon and were hit by a teenage boy driving on Vine Street.

The Avondale Community Council met virtually Tuesday evening. On the board's agenda was pedestrian safety.

Board members said they have been concerned about and discussing the issue for years. One board member has been pushing to have a traffic light installed at Ehrman and Vine for approximately two years.

Two board members are now chairing a pedestrian safety effort. Plans are not set in stone, but the board members will consider ideas such as adding lighting, increasing signage and launching educational campaigns.

The board members said they have already met with representatives from the city planning office and city manager's office.

"It's about keeping our kids safe... It's about saving lives of our kids," said board president Sandra Jones Mitchell. "We need to do all we can within our abilities to get the word out and to save a kid, to save a life."