The Helping Hand Project

Welcome to the Helping Hand Project Volunteer Spotlight! In this series, we showcase all the wonderful volunteers, past and present that make up our large and diverse community.

This week, our volunteer spotlight is on Robin Jacob. Robin was formerly the president of the UNCG chapter in 2021-2022 and is currently a graduate student pursuing a masters in Biomedical Engineering at the NCSU UNC joint department. Robin’s other hobbies include playing musical instruments, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Videography.

How did you get involved?

My campus posted an announcement for an open leadership position with HHP. I knew nothing about 3D printers, but I wanted to learn! I signed up and joined and it was easily the best decision I made.

What was your most impactful moment as a volunteer?

Printing for the first time and building a hand really opened up my eyes to what could be done in the health innovations space. Going from a person who knew nothing about 3D printing and being able to slowly teach myself and make something, it instilled the confidence in me to apply to graduate school. I wouldn't be in my grad program at UNC/NC State if it wasn't for the HHP.

What was most interesting/fun as a volunteer?

Even though there were a lot of projects in our campus Makerspace, everyone always found our prosthetics really interesting! They always stopped to ask us questions and wanted to learn more. Our devices are a practical application of 3D printing that changes people's lives. The fact we can create and build something that makes such a huge impact always blows people away, including myself sometimes!

HHP is an experience Robin recommends to everyone “you don't need to be an expert. Just be willing to learn! It can open the doors to amazing opportunities and possible careers down the road. ”

Hello! Welcome to the Helping Hand Project! We are a 501 3(c) non-profit organization that aims to support the limb difference community and educate individuals who wish to impact it. One of the ways we do this is by designing free, custom-designed recreational prosthetics via 3D printing techniques. We currently have seven student-led chapters spanning multiple college campuses & graduate programs across North Carolina and nationwide. We provide our volunteers with the technical skills and knowledge to design and assemble our custom-fitted devices.
Since returning to in-person activity in 2021-2022, we have almost doubled in volunteers eager to give back to their local community by designing free prosthetics for those in need. We have also had our first in-person family gathering since lock down, last April! If you are interested in joining our support network or receiving a personalized device, please reach out to us either via messenger or our website for more contact information. If you have any other questions or recommendations on how we can best serve you, please message us! Thank you for your time!