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JamesMonroebotics Needs Your Help!
JamesMonroebotics.org | JamesMonroebotics@gmail.com | 540‐372‐1100
Dear Sir or Madam,
The James Monroe High School FIRST Robotics team, JamesMonroebotics, is currently seeking your
support so it can enter another successful year of designing and building a robot to compete in the
FIRST challenge.
FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
was founded by inventor Dean Kamen, also known for designing the Segway
Scooter, in 1989 with the purpose of giving high school students the
opportunity to gain hands‐on experience with sciences such as computer
programming, electrical engineering, physics, pneumatics, and structural
engineering. In addition, it lets students exercise knowledge they gain in their
school classes for real world applications, gives them experience working one‐on‐one with professional
engineers to solve scenarios, and teaches them good business and communication skills that are
essential to keep the team afloat.
FIRST achieves all of this through a “game”
scenario that they plan out each year. Using a
kit of parts and off‐the‐shelf materials, teams
design and build a robot that is capable of
achieving the scenario’s goals. For example, in
the 2008 competition, FIRST Overdrive, teams
built robots that drove around an oval‐shaped
track while throwing giant, forty inch diameter
inflatable balls over a six‐and‐a‐half foot high
monkey‐bar type structure. While this may
sound simple, team members must understand
the concepts of torque, traction, and stress,
know how to calculate gear ratios, program microcontrollers, build electrical and pneumatic circuits,
build lightweight structures out of industrial materials, and learn how to use tools in their correct
applications.
However, registering for the competition is not cheap, and building a robot that can actually move when
it reaches the competition floor is not easy. All teams are charged a two‐thousand dollar fee for the kit
of parts and an additional four‐thousand dollar fee for each regional event they plan to attend. Teams
also need money to buy tools and materials to build the robot as well as mentors and volunteers to help
out and point the team in the right direction.
Our team, JamesMonroebotics/FIRST Robotics Team #2402, is based at James Monroe High School in
Fredericksburg, VA. We entered FIRST in 2008, when we assembled a group of eight students, three of
whom are females, and two of whom are African American. We were given a grant by NASA, which is
available to first and second year teams, to cover the initial costs of entry, and we were able to raise
additional funds totaling over two‐and‐a‐half‐thousand dollars.
That year, we placed twenty‐third out of sixty‐four teams present at the 2008 NASA/Virginia
Commonwealth University regional competition in Richmond, Virginia. Our goals for that competition
season were very basic as we were just getting used to the program. This year, we are setting our sights
much higher. We want to:
• Go to two FIRST Robotics regional
competitions
• Start a FIRST Lego League team at
either the local elementary or middle
school to prepare younger students for
our team
• Build a self balancing scooter to further
explore our abilities and improve our
skills
• Compete with our 2008 robot in the
VirginiaFIRST Robot Rumble at the Virginia State Fair
• Get the entire school interested in science by attempting to bring back the science fair at JM
• Recruit as many new team members as possible
We need to raise more than $17,000 and get the support of at least a few engineers and volunteers to
We need to raise more than $17,000
help mentor us to even think about achieving all of these goals. We are asking for your support in
whatever form you can give. We will gratefully accept any monetary donations that you are able to give
us. We can also use machining/manufacturing services, donations of raw building materials or hardware
components, and volunteer help from both engineering and non‐engineering mentors.
You use technology everyday. Just think about what would happen to the modern world if suddenly no
one else was interested in becoming a scientist or engineer. Despite the large price tag, FIRST gives back
by educating young students about science and technology and inspiring them to put their skills to use
in the real world. Having more students in the FIRST program equates to there being more students who
will enjoy studying science, technology, and engineering, as well as more students who will merely go to
college. Please support us to help ensure the existence of future technological advancements while
giving young people the opportunity to explore a whole new world.
Sincerely,
Carl Bailey, Team Founder/Captain Bryan Steckler, Team Co‐founder and Member
For information and updates on the team, as well as pictures and videos, please visit
www.jamesmonroebotics.org or go to www.usfirst.org for information on FIRST.
FIRST.
JamesMonroebotics
James Monroe High School FIRST Robotics Team
2009 Community Sponsorship Program
If you would like to sponsor JamesMonroebotics for the 2009 competition season by making a
TAX DEDUCTABLE donation, please fill out this form.
• What can you do? (check all that apply)
My company can…
☐ make a monetary donation of $____________ to the team.
☐ buy raw materials or hardware as requested by the team totaling $_______ in value.
☐ donate raw materials and hardware that our company has. (If you check this box, we
will contact you to find out if you have anything that we need or you can list the
materials that you have in the margin at the top of this page.)
☐ send engineering mentors to volunteer to help the team.
☐ send non‐engineering mentors to volunteer to help the team.
☐ provide machining or manufacturing services to the team totaling $_______ in value.
☐ provide food or other services to the team. Other services: _____________________
Note: FIRST allows teams to spend up to $3,500 on materials for the robot. Materials or
machining services that are donated to our team by our sponsors do not count toward
this limit.
• Our team will compensate your donation by putting your logo and/or company name on
one or more of our advertising mediums. The levels for this are listed below. To
determine which level you fall into, we will add your monetary donation with an
estimated value of your material donations.
Honey Bee Sponsors: <$99: Your company’s name and logo will be placed in our
newsletters and in our official team name which is read at the competition.
Yellow Jacket Sponsors: $100‐$299: Your company’s logo will be placed on our banner
that is displayed at the competitions as well as in our newsletters.
Gold Jacket Sponsors: $300‐$499: Your company’s logo will be placed on our t‐shirts as
well as on our banner and in our newsletters.
Platinum Jacket Sponsors: >$500: Your company’s logo will be placed on our robot as
well as on our banner, t‐shirts, and newsletters. You will also receive two free 2009
JamesMonroebotics t‐shirts.
This form continues on the back of this page.
• In addition to donations, if someone from your company volunteers to mentor us, your
company’s name and logo will be placed on everything and the mentor will receive a
free t‐shirt.
• The FIRST Robotics regional events are a great place to advertise! Not only are they filled
with engineering professionals, they also attract a large audience of young engineers
looking for careers and company representatives that might notice your logo. If you
support us, we will make sure that your name gets out there.
The deadline for name and logo placement on
our t‐shirts, banner, and robot is January 31,
2009. We must have your donations and
company information by then.
• Make all checks payable to “James Monroe High School”, memo: “FIRST Robotics”.
Business Name
Authorized Representative
Address and Zip Code
Phone Number and E‐Mail Address
Do you want to receive updates via e‐mail about our team’s progress? ☐ Yes ☐No
☐ _____________________________ gives JamesMonroebotics permission to display
its name and logo publicly and to convert its logo to one color for use on t‐shirts if
necessary. Please email your logo to JamesMonroebotics@gmail.com.
Send checks, along with this completed donation form, to:
JamesMonroebotics
James Monroe High School
2400 Washington Avenue
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Please allow 1‐2 weeks for a receipt of your donation. All donations are tax‐deductable.
Thanks for your support!