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| The Community Foundation and Robots: What You Need to Know | 
Well, maybe it isn't a robot invasion straight from science fiction, but there is a connection.
In 2009, SUNYIT established a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) to encourage area students to get involved with science and technology by forming teams to research and build robots. Teams then compete their robots against others. Local 9-14-year old students design, build and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics products. SUNY IT has a video demonstrating this program on their YouTube channel.
In 2008, The Community Foundation made a grant to SUNYIT to start their FIRST Lego League program. By December 2009, two of the SUNYIT teams - RoboSpartans and Legoforce - had advanced to the point that they were invited to participate in the Hudson Valley FIRST LEGO League Championship Tournament at Duchess Community College.
As a result of their performance, Legoforce was invited to participate in a world championship during spring 2010 in Taiwan. Due to logistics, the team was unable to attend this event, but are to be commended on the accomplishment of qualifying for it.
At the same competition, the RoboSpartans also performed incredibly and were invited to the World Festival, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia on April 14, 2010. They were able to accept this invitation, and a grant from a Foundation donor-advised fund helped them pay for the trip. They attended as FIRST LEGO League Core Values Ambassadors due to their demonstration of the FLL spirit through sharing their FLL and community volunteer activities. Although they did not win the competition, the RoboSpartans were cited for their exceptional teamwork. (See the FIRST Core Values in the last story in this e-newsletter.)
With programs such as FIRST LEGO League, and the caliber of students like these who participate in them, the future of Herkimer and Oneida counties is bright. Congratulations to all! |
| Community Indicators Project Website Goes Live |
In 2009, The Community Foundation worked in partnership with Mohawk Valley EDGE and United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area under the banner of Leadership Alliance for a Vital Community (LAVC).
This community indicators project measures objective data about our community in order to examine the progress, accomplishments and challenges in Herkimer and Oneida counties. In this case, the group collected data in the areas of arts and culture, economy, education, financial self-sufficiency, health, housing, public safety, technology and transportation. Similar projects have been conducted in communities such as Boston, MA, Baton Rouge, LA, Spartanburg, SC and Rochester and Albany in New York.
On April 27, 2010, www.hocindicators.org was launched to a full house of community leaders. Alliance members spoke about their participation in the project and representatives of the Center for Governmental Research, who collected the data and built the website, presented a tutorial on using the site.
Foundation President & CEO Peggy O'Shea said of the project, "The Community Foundation, EDGE and United Way were inspired to collaborate on this project by a common need for community information to help inform and guide our work. I hope that other individuals, businesses and not-for-profit organizations will look at this data and be inspired to work with one another in similar collaborations to accomplish shared goals that will benefit our community." She expanded on the value of this project in a guest view in the Observer-Dispatch.
The website includes overviews, key trends, charts, and data tables that can be downloaded. The Community Foundation also has an instructional booklet available on its website. Visit it today and seize the opportunity to make positive change in your community!
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| Corporate Partners Join Foundation |
The Community Foundation is pleased to welcome its founding Corporate Partners - businesses that not only provide exceptional products and customer services, but also give back generously to the communities they serve. These companies invest hundreds of thousands of corporate dollars - not to mention countless volunteer hours - to make our community a better place to live, supporting charities and fundraisers of all kinds year after year.
Over the next 12 months, The Foundation will showcase their philanthropy and, together, we will enrich our community. Partnership is leadership at its best.
Our inaugural Corporate Partners are:
- Bank of Utica
- Carbone Auto Group
- Cathedral Corporation
 Fastrac Markets
- Jay-K Independent Lumber Corp.
- M. Griffith Investment Services, Inc.
- NBT Bank
- Pacemaker Steel & Piping Company
- Staffworks, Inc.
- Strategic Financial Services, LLC
If you would like your business to be part of our Corporate Partners Program in 2011, contact Director of Donor Services Elayne Johnson at (315) 735-8212 or ejohnson@foundationhoc.org.
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| Teamwork is Key, No Matter What, no Matter When | | The young people who participate in the FIRST LEGO League are not only learning about science and technology, but also how to be good citizens. The Leadership Alliance for a Vital Community worked together to meet a shared need and then made that information available to all. Corporate Partners have allied with The Foundation as one more way to give back the community. Isn't it refreshing to see people working together in a spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie?
The students involved with FIRST LEGO League adhere to FIRST Core Values that can easily be used by all of us:
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We are a team.
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We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
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We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
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What we discover is more important than what we win.
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We share our experiences with others.
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We display Gracious Professionalism in everything we do.
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We have fun.
This is a wonderful code, and one that teaches these 9-14-year-old students how to collaborate and maintain a healthy and professional attitude. No doubt these values will guide the students throughout their lives, and they will grow up to be the next generation of community parters, working as a team for the greater good. They are also values that each of us can adopt for our lives and community. |
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