About Van-Go Wagon Co.

Hello and welcome! We are Kelly Fitzpatrick and Rachel Lennon, sisters and co-founders of Van-Go Wagon Co.

We created our whimsical mobile art and play studio to bring joy and comfort into a world that is at once awe-inspiring and challenging. Van-Go was born from both grief and gratitude.

Every personal, professional, and deeply human step of our journey has brought us to the creation of our warm, joyful, and playful company.

We offer low-stimulus, hands-on, tactile activities designed to be open-ended, inclusive, and deeply respectful of each child’s individuality. Rather than simply “entertaining,” we act as guides. We provide intentional invitations to explore, create, and connect at a child’s own pace.

With no set outcomes or expectations, children are free to choose how (or if) they engage—leaving with new skills, newfound confidence, and a genuine sense of accomplishment.

OUR PHILOSOPHY: GUIDANCE, NOT DIRECTION

THE VAN-GO PILLARS

Van-Go Wagon Co. provides opportunities to grow through high-quality mobile art and play experiences. To us, this means:

Create: Crafting a physical piece of art that reflects a child’s inner world.
Build: Constructing something tangible (like a marshmallow tower), developing a skill (like critical thinking), or building emotional capacity and resilience.
Connect: Building a bridge to one’s art, oneself, a caregiver, or a neighbor.

We believe these are the essential ways children:

Express complex ideas and emotions.
Foster independence and confidence.
Make meaning of the world around them.
Form lasting connections with others

WHY ART & PLAY?

GIVE BACK MISSION

Every paid booking helps fund free mobile outreach to kids in need, from underserved areas, to those impacted by grief or trauma, or just when a little extra care, comfort, or joy is needed.

Why? Because kids deserve age-appropriate care in hard times. Because play can be powerful. Because art can hold grief and joy in the same hand. And because a single person, creating the right place in the right way, can change someone’s day, or even their life.

Our Give Back Mission funds free community and small privately sponsored events, individual family art experiences, free workshops spots, and more! Have family or group of kiddos who could use some extra care, or want to donate to the fund directly? Use our contact form to get in touch.

Hi, I’m Kelly – one half of the Van-Go duo.

I’m a former special education teacher and NYC public school principal who has always believed in the power of creativity, connection, and play. Before Van-Go Wagon existed, I was infusing art into curriculum development, bringing practices to my staff, teaching art classes from a wagon, and finding ways to build meaningful community through hands-on experiences.

I’m also a mom of four and a Macaroni KID publisher for multiple Westchester communities, where I help families discover local events, small businesses, and opportunities to connect. Community-building has always been at the center of my work, whether in schools, through art, or out in the neighborhoods I love.

Van-Go Wagon Co. grew from all of those worlds colliding: education, art, parenting, and a lifelong love of making things by hand. What started as my childhood love of making things has become intentional, guided experiences that invite kids (and grown-ups) to create, explore, and connect together.

At the heart of everything I do is the belief that creativity isn’t about perfection and everyone is an artist. As children we are born with an inmate talent for trying, that can sometimes be lost along the way. In this work, it’s about showing up, exploring something new, and building something meaningful side by side.

Hi, I’m Rachel – the other half of the Van-Go duo!

I have always loved the adventure of experiencing something new. Whether it is a new place, a fresh view, or a different way of thinking and creating. When Kelly approached me to start a whimsical art and play company with her, I knew it would be the start of a beautiful adventure that combined our love for creating, community, and sisterhood.

Growing up, crafting was my happy place. I especially loved painting wooden pieces and ceramics, scrapbooking, and adding colorful squiggles and doodles on any piece of paper in front of me. Then, for a stretch of time, joy and art were simply not within reach. After we lost our brother, Owen, the world as we knew it went upside down and became very dark. It was only through the warmth and support of our community of friends, strangers, and professionals that we were able to bring back some of the light. Each time we create, build, and connect, the colors around us feel a little deeper and more vibrant. Art has now become both a source of joy and a soft place to land.

Professionally, I have supported English language education, community services case management, refugee resettlement, and disaster recovery. At the center of all this work was people helping fellow people find stability and opportunities to flourish. I firmly believe that we are all connected to each other and to our natural world, and I see art as a way for us to learn about ourselves and relate to one another.

Together, we’ve turned the wagon into a sanctuary of color and connection, inviting you to create your own sense of joy or comfort.

The Van-Go Timeline

Summer 2025

Creation

We formed the LLC, purchased a 1984 VW van, named "Veda," and successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign with the support of 157 wonderful backers. Van buildout began!