Community Outreach
Leon's Day community service project picture
The SparX team’s objective for Community service is to be a relevant force in helping our community while being a loud voice championing the message of FIRST Inspires. Every member of the SparX Team is required to perform 20 hours of community service. We accomplish this through team sponsored activities as well as individual initiatives. Individual actions range from raking leaves or shoveling snow for seniors to building the sets and running the sound systems for community plays. Over the past fifteen years our team has worked to create a stronger relationship with our community. For several years now, we have volunteered at FIRST LEGO LEAGUE and FIRST TECH CHALLENGE competitions in local middle schools, which allows the FLL and FRC students to get introduced to the different programs in FIRST.
Pictured above and below is an annual leaf raking day for senior citizens and the disabled in our community, called “Leon’s Day”, to honor one of our late mentors. This allows us to both spread word of the FIRST programs and to help alleviate some of the strenuous labor that senior citizens face while making the activity very meaningful to the SparX Team.
Improving our team’s community involvement is a central goal on the SparX team. Starting in 2011 our team has annually participated in the Relay for Life to support one of our team members that is a cancer survivor. This event gives us the opportunity to raise funds for cancer research and to show the community what the FIRST program is all about. Other community outreach opportunities we pursue include: demoing our robot at local schools and scouts programs, volunteering at FLL and FTC events, sponsoring local FLL teams, and collecting toys for the Ronald McDonald house.
SparX built a special
Basketball Launching Robot for Liam
Basketball Launching Robot for Liam
A SparX sub team designed and built a basketball shooter as a post 2019 competition project in support of Thomas High School's Unified Basketball program. Adam and Ryan delivered the shooter at the May 20th game. Liam made several baskets from the free throw line and the crowd went wild!
Basketball shooter designers Adam & Ryan
Continuing to improve our team’s community involvement is a central goal on the SparX team. Starting in 2011 our team has annually participated in the Relay for Life. This is especially meaningful to SparX as one of our team members is a cancer survivor. This event gives us the opportunity to raise funds for cancer research and to show the community what the FIRST program is all about.Jn addition, we have also done numerous charity fundraisers over the past couple years such as: the Ronald McDonald Toy Drive, and sponsoring local Lego teams. Doing demonstrations at local nursing homes, elementary schools, and scouts programs help to spread the FIRST message.
Sunday 10/21/2017 was a beautiful day for the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk with our friends from Team 340 (Greater Rochester Robotics) and Assemblyman Mark Johns!
See more on our Facebook page
Leon’s Day commemorates the passing of one of our mentors, Leon Cormier. Mr. Cormier was the embodiment of gracious professionalism and his day-to-day life reflected it. SparX holds this day each year in November to pass on his penchant for helping people. This year we held our 6th annual leaf raking day for senior citizens and the disabled in our community, called “Leon’s Day”, to honor one of our late mentors. This allows us to both spread word of the FIRST programs and to help alleviate some of the strenuous labor that senior citizens face.
Leon PhotoStory3.wmvEvery year, SparX also volunteers in First Lego League (FLL) events. They provide a way for our students to apply the skills they learned as well as encourage younger students participating in FLL to continue on with the FIRST programs.
