Community Rallies to Support Robotics Competition

It was an incredible moment for competitive robotics Team 5801 CTC Inspire. They had just finished the Greater Kansas City Regional Tournament in Lee’s Summit as captain of the finalist alliance and, while their last match resulted in a loss, their performance secured them a spot at FIRST Championships in Houston, a world competition that hosts 600 teams from around the globe. Over 3,000 FRC teams exist worldwide. Less than 20% compete at Worlds. Team 5801 also received the Ford Autonomous Award for technical skills.

But there was a problem. In order to transport students, coaches and equipment, the team was facing a fundraising challenge of $11,400.

“It was a lot,” shares Advanced Computer Engineering instructor and advisor Ginger McCabe. “But my students said they would make it work.”

Students put their writing and artistic skills to work and drafted a sponsorship packet. Advisors and alumni helped, reaching out to community partners and sharing links to the fundraiser on multiple sites.

Their hard work, coupled with the incredible generosity of the CTC and robotics community, paid off.

“We hit $11,400,” McCabe says with a big smile. “And then it just kept going.”

The additional funds allowed the robotics team to help students with travel costs.

“It’s really neat,” shares CTC graduate and robotics coach Alex Hill. “Just to see everyone support us and see how much money we raised so fast.”

Team 5801 would like to extend their thanks and recognition who made their participation at Worlds a reality:

The Career & Technology Center at Fort Osage

The Fort Osage School District

The Fort Osage Education Foundation

Winchester Lake City Army Ammunition Plant

KC Stem Alliance

BR Carpet Company

Jeff Jennings State Farm

Tucker Appraisals

Numerous individual and alumni donors