One2One Coaching and Consulting<\/a> in Old Saybrook, offers a low-pressure introduction to driving, using golf carts. The program teaches basic driving skills while building confidence and independence.<\/p>\nRinaldi said the project was inspired by his late brother, Daniel, who lived with Proteus syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI watched him navigate the obstacles of Proteus syndrome, but also living an independent life on his own,\u201d Rinaldi said.<\/p>\n
Rinaldi described Daniel as his best friend, best man, and guiding influence. He said one of his brother\u2019s biggest goals after college was learning to drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted to drive a car; that was his biggest goal post-college,\u201d Rinaldi said.<\/p>\n
With the help of family and friends, Rinaldi taught his brother to drive by starting with simple, low-stress experiences and gradually building confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep the stakes low, have some fun, drive down to the beach and it took off from there,\u201d Rinaldi said.<\/p>\n
That experience eventually became the Golf Cart Project.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where the golf cart project came to life,\u201d Rinaldi said.<\/p>\n
Today, the program helps individuals with disabilities or anxieties learn the fundamentals of driving in a supportive environment. Lessons include skills such as three-point turns and parallel parking, all at low speeds and with minimal pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe start slow, and we ramp up,\u201d Rinaldi said.<\/p>\n
Rinaldi currently works with 10 clients, some of whom hope to pursue driver’s licenses this summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of it is just, this is a mission driven by my heart,\u201d Rinaldi said.<\/p>\n
Among those participating is Will Gibson, known as “Captain Will,” who said the experience has helped him learn the basics of driving while spending time with Rinaldi.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learn how to drive it, him and I play basketball,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n
When asked whether Rinaldi is a good teacher, Gibson’s answer was simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, he and I are buddies,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n
Rinaldi said honoring Daniel’s memory remains at the center of the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why I do the work I do every day, I take Dan\u2019s spirit and heart into my work,\u201d Rinaldi said.<\/p>\n
Rinaldi donates all proceeds from the Golf Cart Project to the Proteus Syndrome Foundation<\/a> in honor of his brother.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What began as one man’s effort to help his brother achieve independence has grown into a program that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9697,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[44,4606],"class_list":["post-9696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-golf","tag-old-saybrook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}