During the month of September, members of our business, outreach, and media sub-teams created a “cold call” campaign designed to further community engagement from companies and businesses within a five-mile radius of Edina High School.
We started by driving through the local commercial and industrial district and made a list of companies that we thought might have a mutual interest in STEM and robotics. We produced a custom letter and included a team brochure in each of the envelopes mailed to the businesses. We followed up with phone calls, and then actually knocked on doors!
This was an amazing learning experience. We had to leave our comfort zones on the doorstep. It turned out that many individuals in our community are not at all familiar with FIRST and many were surprised that robotics was an extra-curricular team activity. We walked into each of the businesses that we had mailed letters to, and upon reaching a real, live person, discovered the value of having our three minute “elevator” pitch at the ready. We are pleased to announce that one of the companies we visited really took to our pitch and sent us a sponsorship donation. Thank you AST!
There’s still time to help us underwrite our robot fabrication budget and our competition fees. If you or your company would like to be part of this world-award winning team, we’re seeking financial and/or material contributions for our 2023 season. Please contact us!
– By Alec B.