Hailey Dawson throws a powerful fastball. Armed with her UNLV-built "Robohand," the Henderson 7-year-old has already delivered the opening pitch for the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals, and has invites to pitch by all other Major League Baseball teams.

Now, she’s preparing to throw out the first pitch Oct. 28, at the fourth game of this year’s World Series.

Due to a rare condition called Poland Syndrome, Dawson was born without a right pectoral muscle. Her right hand is missing three fingers and her thumb and pinky also are undeveloped. In 2014, when her mother Yong Dawson discovered that a typical prosthetic would cost around $20,000 and need to be replaced frequently as Hailey grew, she asked UNLV’s Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering for help.

Students and faculty first teamed up three years ago to design and produce a 3-D printed robotic hand that enabled Hailey to grab, grasp, grow, and throw. They've adapted their design as she's grown to build more hands. And now they’re helping bring national attention to solutions for other children with Poland Syndrome. 

Today UNLV’s College of Engineering faculty and students want to assist other children like Hailey grasp bicycle handles, throw balls, and create artistic works with their own Robohands. 

Each hand costs approximately $5,000. Through RebelRaiser, UNLV's official crowdfunding platform, Hailey and the UNLV engineering team hope to fund materials and upgrade the laboratory and its 3-D printing capabilities.

About RebelRaiser

RebelRaiser allows the community to achieve fundraising goals through many smaller gifts online. It’s also a convenient way for UNLV students, athletes, and special interest groups to connect with the community, and for the community to participate in the variety of projects originating on campus.

While crowdfunding campaigns typically identify a deadline so that goal-setting is possible, projects like Hailey’s will renew as the research continues to progress.

Since Rebel Raiser was launched by the UNLV Foundation in November 2015, more than $273,479 has been raised through 1,521 gifts. The projects cover all walks of campus life — from sending students to dance competitions and entrepreneurship conferences around the world to securing housing for homeless UNLV students and studying air quality in the Valley.

RebelRaiser will no doubt help Hailey’s pitch have an even more powerful impact, as it has helped other projects: 

• Funded the excavation of a Colombian Mammoth ($10,276 raised)
• Helped U.S. veterans get dental care at UNLV's Sgt. Clint Ferrin Memorial Clinic ($8,968 raised by so far)
• Introduced children to the arts: Bus to Barrick to bring CCSD children to the museum ($6,740 raised)
• Supported survivors of and victims of sexual assault through the UNLV Care Survivor Fund ($2,878 raised so far)