Community
Up-A-Creek Robotics understand the importance the community plays in our success as a team. Subsequently, we understand that giving back and being involved in our community helps form lifelong relationships and teaches lessons that go beyond the classroom. Last year alone, we volunteered over 3,000 hours in the community! Below are just a few examples of our involvement.
Holiday Food Basket (EFAA)
Each year, Team 1619 partners with Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) to deliver holiday food baskets to low income, elderly citizens in Boulder County. The team works together to pack the baskets, load them and deliver them to over 100 people in the community.
FLL Mentoring
Members of team 1619 mentor our five FLL teams in the fall. Students build and code their own robots, create a project presentation, and learn about FIRST core values. We typically attend two regional events and states if teams qualify.
FLL Tournaments
Each year (barring Covid) we host and run the St. Vrain FLL qualifier, which invites teams from across the Front Range to compete in a fun and friendly environment. In addition, numerous students volunteer at two other regional competitions and the FLL Colorado state tournament.
Treat Street
Hosted by Seagate Technology around Halloween, students set up a booth and give out candy to kids while teaching them about robotics.
Inviting Teams to Our HQ
In the past we have had many teams utilize our full-size practice field during build season or stop by our headquarters for a tour. If this sounds like an opportunity your team would be interested in, contact us!
Engineering Inspiration Tours
At the Colorado regional, we give tours to local middle schoolers to show them the heart of FIRST! We have had kids in the uncertain crowd who have been reluctant to pursue robotics until experiencing the excitement of the competition. It's no surprise that many of the students on these tours subsequently join us in high school!
Girl Scout Badge Days
Our team has partnered with local girl scout troops to give out 6 badges across robotics and cybersecurity. We do hours of fun, hands-on building and coding activities, plus robot demonstrations of course! Contact us to learn more.
Shop with a Cop
Partnering with the Longmont Breakfast Optimists and Longmont Police Department, we provide a cooked breakfast and presents to local elementary schoolers each holiday season.
Team Support Tech (TST)
We know from experience that things don't always go as planned during FRC competitions. That's why we have a dedicated team of TST students to assist teams in their build and code to ensure the robot is running properly. Besides being members of technical 1619 subteams full-time, TST members also receive separate specific training to expand their skills.
Minnesota Outreach Travel
In an effort to increase FIRST representation in Minnesota, we partnered with one of our biggest sponsors, The Toro Company, to travel to Minnesota and upstart rookie FIRST teams. We presented at the Toro headquarters in front of numerous local teams and mentors.
Medtronic Jumpstart
We participate in Medtronic's Jumpstart training for FIRST teams. This is an opportunity for students to present special