LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A nine-year-old boy in Loudon County received a specialized wheelchair from a Knoxville-based nonprofit.

Elliot Crabtree was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that has bound him to a wheelchair, but he isn’t letting that stop him from exploring. Elliot’s family has worked closely with the nonprofit Spark over the years. After they came to Spark with an issue, their volunteers got to work.

“I was super excited,” Crabtree said. “Once I first got in it, I was a little bit scared it would tip backward, but now I’m getting used to it so now I feel confident.”

The new chair enables Elliot to ride easily over any type of surface, which his mom Angela said has opened up new opportunities for him.

“He has a lot more confidence when going off of concrete which is a big deal because the world is not completely concreted,” Angela Crabtree said. “It’s been really exciting to see him explore places, even just our backyard, which he’s never been able to explore before.”

Spark aims to help people with disabilities live with maximum independence. The wheelchair isn’t the first project the non-profit has created for Elliot.

“They adapted a toy for us so that he could play with a toy when he was a baby, which was the only toy he could play with which was really exciting, and we have just gone on a journey with them, they’ve kind of grown with Elliot as we’ve grown with them,” she said.

Executive Director of Spark Mary Thom Adams said there is nothing better than seeing someone gain the freedom to do what they want.

“If you could have seen his face after he got over the idea that he was in a different chair, doing something brand new. Here we are, five adults standing on the edge of his backyard for thirty minutes watching this child go round and round and round in a circle, and it was the best movie we’ve ever seen,” Adams said.

Spark is holding it’s third annual Fun Run and Roll Saturday at The Cove at Concord Park. The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon and anyone can register.