"A society gets what it celebrates." By celebrating science and technology, and by aiming to expand that celebration, FIRST wants society to benefit.
The 2005 study by Brandeis University shows that FIRST is having a dramatic effect. There are links to the report at
http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/content.aspx?id=46 (the "Impact" page of the FIRST web site). Investment in FIRST pays off with more engineering graduates, and more community involvement.