Union Beach -- Sandy Clean-up On Thursday, December 27, 2012, the ICE Wolves took a trip to Union Beach to help clean up after Hurricane Sandy. We helped AmeriCorps clean up Union Beach because they were in need of help removing debris from the beach.
In the morning, before we left to drive to Union Beach, we collected $10 from each team member along with all of the adults that were attending. In total, we were able to donate $200 to the organization along with approximately $200 worth of supplies, which were donated to us by Home Depot. While cleaning up the beach, many of our volunteers found different objects that were ruined and broken. Among these we found a piano, which was broken apart. Seeing some of the furniture and among them various ornaments was an extremely melancholy experience for our team members. Among the debris, we found several objects which held obvious sentimental value, such as photo albums, dolls, and various other trinkets. Not only were there numerous pictures depicting irreplaceable memories, but also teddy bears, a baseball, a chess set, and a kite. After five hours of cleaning up the beach with the people from AmeriCorps, we headed back to the main building in order to sign out. From there we drove around the surrounding area in order to survey the area and gain a better understanding of the extent of the damage. Then we headed back to our building headquarters to hold a meeting. Once that discussion about our volunteer work was finished, we continued to work on the various aspects of the robot. |
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Project Leal "Meet & Greet" The ICE Wolves visited a local elementary school, John Adams, on December 5, 2012. Our primary purpose was to inspire the fifth and fourth graders to join robotix as they progress through their school careers. We introduced their school’s LEAL program to Beta, our robot, and demonstrated the various features.
Our team also explained the workings of FTC to them, as well as this year’s game. Not only did we explain the various challenges our team encountered, but also how to overcome each obstacle. We wanted the students to be prepared if they decided to join the Robotix program further along in the lives. We also allowed the students to drive the robot around their school gym. In addition, we asked the children to form a line so that they could high-five our robot’s arm and claw. Most of the students appeared inspired by our demonstration, which led us to explain the other programs available for their age group – FLL. Our presentation prompted many of them to ask intriguing questions. Their questioning brought forth a whole new round of explanations from our team. Overall, this was a renewing experience for our team. We felt proud knowing that we had introduced so many students to the First program. Even better, they all seemed interested in our presentation, making our visit worth-while. |
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