FRC 4965 FIRE
Community Outreach
FLL
FRC 4965 FIRE is involved with various FLL teams in the Anderson area. They provide FLL 5164 Lego Tech significant funding and some members from FIRE mentor them. The team has also helped to start FLL 21088 based out of Palmetto Elementary School in 2015 by helping them throughout the registration process and mentoring them throughout the season. Altogether the team financially supports 17 FLL teams and hopes to support more in the future. FIRE has also held mock tournaments for FLL teams in 2015 and 2016. The first year the team hosted FLL 3365 Tornado of Ideas and expanded it to hold FLL 3365 Tornado of Ideas, FLL 21088 Sparks, and FLL 5164 Lego Tech the second year. In the tournament FIRE judged the teams and provided them feedback to help their preparation for their upcoming regional tournament. Several of the members and mentors from from FIRE also volunteered as referees and runners at a local FLL regional tournament in 2016.
VEX
FRC 4965 FIRE sponsors VEX team 9007B Anderson Robotics Club (ARC), a homeschooled team, run out of the Anderson District 5 Career Center.
T-Shirt Robot
FRC 4965 FIRE built a T-shirt launching robot after the 2015 season. They bring this robot to various events to inspire interest in STEM and inform people about the team and its purpose. For example they have brought it to high school football games at Palmetto High School and for the Cavaliers, a homeschooled team. They have also brought it to a family picnic for one of their sponsors, Bosch. This allows them to show them what they have learned and accomplished as well as recruit new members to the team.
AIM
In 2015 FRC 4965 FIRE participated in a bowl-a-thon to raise money to purchase 96 adult packs and 24 children’s packs of hats, scarves, and gloves and 60 individual pairs of gloves to donate to Anderson Interfaith Ministries (AIM) to distribute to area residents in need.
Business Industry Showcase
FRC 4965 FIRE attended a Business Industry Showcase in Anderson, SC in 2016. This is a career faire for eighth graders across the upstate. At the showcase they showed students their previous robots and explained to them what FIRST is. Many of them expressed interest in the team.
