Each year, we spend roughly $3000 on robot supplies and field elements.
We appreciate your interest in helping us support our team. Robotics is an expensive hobby, but it is also a valuable learning experience and an incredible way to get students interested in pursuing a STEM career. Many of our alumni have continued on to STEM college majors due in part to their involvement in our club.
Cost Breakdown
Using round estimations, we typically spend:
- $1,000 on game-specific elements (field pieces, field structures, etc - these change each year)
- $1,000 on new pieces of metal and plastic for the robot
- $500 on replacing motors, motor controllers, servos, and servo controllers as needed
- $500 on team t-shirts and registering for competitions
There are many ways to support our team. I would like to...
... volunteer my time as a Mentor.
We have an amazing group of mentors with a lot of different experiences and perspectives, but we'd always love more. If you are interested in volunteering your time as a mentor, please use the form below to get in touch with us about meeting times and to begin the mandatory background check process required by our school.
... give a presentation about my field of expertise.
We love to hear about new technology and various different aspects of robot designing, building, and programming. We are particularly interested in hearing about:
We ask that presentations not be more than 30 minutes, with an optional 30 minutes of Question-and-Answer time. If you want to give a presentation to our students about a technology-related subject, please use the form below to get in touch with us about possible times.
- 3D printing
- 3D modeling (for 3D printing and for engineering designs)
- Benefits of different materials
- Java programming
We ask that presentations not be more than 30 minutes, with an optional 30 minutes of Question-and-Answer time. If you want to give a presentation to our students about a technology-related subject, please use the form below to get in touch with us about possible times.
... financially support the club.
We are a 501c3 organization because we are a club at a public school. This means that you can get a tax deduction for your donation amount.
In addition to the tax deduction, we will put your name/logo on the back of our team shirts that we wear to our competitions, and put your name/logo on our Sponsor's Page.
Please use the contact form below to get information on who to make checks out to, or other ways to financially support us.
In addition to the tax deduction, we will put your name/logo on the back of our team shirts that we wear to our competitions, and put your name/logo on our Sponsor's Page.
Please use the contact form below to get information on who to make checks out to, or other ways to financially support us.
... donate materials or tools.
Our current power tools are mostly somewhat older and cheaper options, purchased when we were first starting out. We would love new tools, including:
We can also always use accessories for our current tools, including:
We spend a considerable amount of money each year to replace material that gets used, cut, or damaged in the process of robot building. We always welcome more to add to our stock for future projects:
If you are interested in donating electronics, we have very specific desires. We would prefer financial donations earmarked for spending with electronics rather than donations of electronics. If you think we would benefit from your electronics, please contact us through the form below to discuss what you have available.
- drill press
- cordless hand drill
- belt sander
- screwdrivers
We can also always use accessories for our current tools, including:
- drill bits
- 12" hack saw blades for cutting metal
- 4" x 20" belt sander belts
- tool boxes
- tool cases
- dry erase makers
- pencils and erasers
- wall-mounting component organizer
We spend a considerable amount of money each year to replace material that gets used, cut, or damaged in the process of robot building. We always welcome more to add to our stock for future projects:
- lexan sheets (1/8" - 1/4" thicknesses)
- #6 screws and nuts
If you are interested in donating electronics, we have very specific desires. We would prefer financial donations earmarked for spending with electronics rather than donations of electronics. If you think we would benefit from your electronics, please contact us through the form below to discuss what you have available.
... purchase items off your Amazon wishlist.
We utilize two Amazon wishlists that we maintain to keep parents and other supporters updated on our club's needs. One wishlist is for the general club, and is generic needs for our everyday operation. The other wishlist is for our FTC team, and is for specific needs for the robot of the year.
When purchasing items for us, please ship it to the provided address for John Holmes.
When purchasing items for us, please ship it to the provided address for John Holmes.
... arrange a field trip for us.
We love to learn about what leaders in industry are doing, and we're very interested in visiting companies and labs to learn about them.
A key benefit to this type of support is helping our students realize what options there are for careers after graduation. As a club, we primarily focus on robotics in the context of competitions, but this is a very limited perspective of engineering. Seeing facilities and labs allows us to discover what engineers and other professionals in STEM fields do on a day-by-day basis, and provides new ideas for fields of study and specialization for college. If you can arrange a trip to see a company or lab, or want to sponsor a trip for us, please use the form below to get information about what our school requires.
A key benefit to this type of support is helping our students realize what options there are for careers after graduation. As a club, we primarily focus on robotics in the context of competitions, but this is a very limited perspective of engineering. Seeing facilities and labs allows us to discover what engineers and other professionals in STEM fields do on a day-by-day basis, and provides new ideas for fields of study and specialization for college. If you can arrange a trip to see a company or lab, or want to sponsor a trip for us, please use the form below to get information about what our school requires.