Mar 2021 Volunteer Connect--Get your FIRST volunteer news here!

A newsletter for FIRST Chesapeake volunteers

March 2021

In this issue...

FIRST Robotics Competition Season Update
FIRST Tech Challenge Volunteer Survey
FTC Volunteer of the Year
Dollars for Doers- Rewards for Volunteers
Power of Volunteering
Season T-shirt
Notes from the Field

FIRST Robotics Competition Season Update

All FIRST Chesapeake FRC unofficial events planned for March and April 2021 will not be moving forward. For more information click http://bit.ly/3rdqJuA.

FIRST Chesapeake FTC Volunteer Survey

FIRST Chesapeake values your input, and we would like to get your feedback on the volunteer experience for this past FIRST Tech Challenge Season.

The survey information is used by FIRST Chesapeake staff to improve the volunteer experience. The questionnaire should only take 3-5 minutes, and due to the uniqueness of our hybrid season, we are only asking you to fill out the form once, even if you volunteered at more than one event.

Here is the link to the survey.

Thank you for taking the time to help us improve the volunteer experience.

2020-21 FTC Volunteer of the Year Announced

Ryan Wolfrum was honored as the FTC Volunteer of the Year at the FIRST Chesapeake FIRST Tech Challenge 2021 Championship Awards Ceremony last week.

Ryan was a behind-the-scenes volunteer and a driving force behind our video streaming to Twitch, which included coordinating commentators, field cameras, judges, and field observers.

Thank you Ryan for your hard work and dedication to making this FTC season a success and accessible to everyone!

Dollars for Doers- Rewards for Volunteers

What if we told you that your volunteer hours can be translated directly into money for your team and for FIRST Chesapeake? It’s true.

As an added benefit of employment, many companies will reward volunteer service by making a matching cash gift to nonprofit organizations for which employees commit their time and expertise.

Click here to read more about Dollars for Doers and find out if your company participates in a volunteer matching gift program.

"I'd like to thank everyone for making this season happen despite the challenges faced."

- recent Twitter quote, from FTC Team coach

Our Connection is Strong Season Shirt

Let's stay connected! FIRST Chesapeake's volunteers selected a special season shirt that is available to everyone!

We are glad to mail a shirt to you for a $20 donation. Proceeds help support FIRST Chesapeake programs. Get your shirt today with this LINK. Supplies are limited.

We are in the midst of the second year of the FIRST Chesapeake Alumni Ambassador Program Sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton and the Ambassadors continue to inspire and amaze us with their talents, skills, and enthusiasm for FIRST robotics. The top goal of the Ambassador Program is to engage recent alumni and keep them active in FIRST as event volunteers and mentors through college and early career, to ensure a cohort of qualified volunteers and mentors for the near future and beyond.

One of the many great things about the Ambassador Program is that it attracts not only recent FIRST Chesapeake alumni, but also alumni who participated in FIRST in other Districts and, upon relocating to DC, Maryland or Virginia, used the Alumni Ambassador Program as an entry point to the FIRST Chesapeake community. We’ve had alumni who participated in FIRST programs from as far away as California and Florida who came to the FIRST Chesapeake District to pursue graduate degrees or new jobs and are now serving as mentors and key volunteers.

As evidence of the generosity and enthusiasm of FIRST alumni, these Alumni Ambassadors are serving for the reward of presenting a $1,000 team grant to the FTC or FRC team of their choice. These team grants, like the Ambassador Program itself, are made possible through the generosity of Booz Allen Hamilton. Each Ambassador, upon completing the program requirements, can select a team to receive a $1,000 unrestricted grant. While some Ambassadors award their grant to the team on which they participated as a student or for which they now serve as a mentor, others select a team based on need, or based on an inspiring interaction they had with a team during an event.

FIRST Chesapeake routinely shares the accomplishments of Alumni Ambassadors on social media to highlight the impact of the program. In the coming weeks, we’ll start to share news about the lucky teams that will be recipients of the Alumni Ambassador team grants for 2021.

Alumni Ambassadors are recruited in late fall and the program requirements are:

to serve two volunteer shifts during the competition season;
complete one virtual or in-person professional development training provided by FIRST Chesapeake;
submit event reports for the two volunteer shifts; and
be models of Coopertition® and Gracious Professionalism®.

If you are a recent (graduated from high school in the past ten years) FIRST alumni currently living in the FIRST Chesapeake District, consider applying for the Alumni Ambassador Program in fall 2021. For more information about the Alumni Ambassador Program, email Katarina Spears at kspears@firstchesapeake.org.

--Katarina Spears

FIRST Chesapeake Development Director

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FIRST Chesapeake | volunteer@firstchesapeake.org