Woodie Flowers Awards - Entries due soon! (2/27)

[Andy Baker]

Students,

Please take the time and go to firstawards.org to enter 1 mentor from your team as a Woodie Flowers Award candidate. Each team can only nominate 1 mentor, so get together with your teammates to figure out which adult you will nominate.

This year, for the first time, there will be "Woodie Flowers Finalist Awards" presented at the 26 FIRST Regionals. Then, those winners will be considered to win the Woodie Flowers Award in Atlanta at the Championhips.

You are all busy getting your robots completed, and your time is valuable. However, taking the time to nominate someone from your team is a very worthwhile effort. Even if your candidate might not win the award, simply nominating them for it is an award in itself. So many mentor adults put in countless hours for their teams and this is a simple way to say "thank you" to one of those mentors on your team.

Some regionals only have a few candidates nominated at this point, so your candidate has a good chance to win.

Please, take this opportunity to give back to a mentor. Go to the website and follow the directions to create your entry. The site will let you enter some of your essay and then come back to change it, as long as you do this before 2/27. Once you are satisfied with your entry, submit it to the site. Even if your candidate doesn't win, they will be thrilled that you made the effort to create the entry. And... if they do win, well, your effort may change their life as much they are impacting yours.

Sincerely,
Andy Baker
2003 Woodie Flowers Award Winner

[Mr.B]

Andy provides a clear frame that focuses our attention on the importance of the hundreds of FIRST mentors, without whom this program would not exist.

I urge the students of FIRST who are empowered to succeed, who are given the opportunity and resources to discover their passions and potential in great part because of the effort and energies of committed mentors, to take the time and acknowledge the gifts they have received, and the persons who made those gifts possible.

The act of framing a thoughtful and articulate Woodie Flowers nomination is an act of selflessness, respect and humility. It is an acknowledgement that you and your teammates understand and appreciate that FIRST is so much more about the heroes and heroines that form the fabric of our lives, and so much less about the creation of modules, mechanisms and machines that serve only as the metaphorical center of mass for the FIRST experience.

The Woodie Flowers Award is not something to be won, but rather something to be shared.

Through the act of framing a nomination, you are sharing the most important aspect of the FIRST experience; The recognition that people possess the power and passion to make a difference.

The act of recognizing the importance of a particular mentor creates a culture of graciousness, humility and respect that helps to ensure the continued support of this important ingredient of FIRST’s success; Great Mentorship!

Whatever success a FIRST team achieves would be diminished in some measure if the young people involved did not make the effort to share their gratitude and respect for an important person on their team whose commitment and energies impacted their lives….permanently, and for the better.

This award is called the Woodie Flowers Award because it celebrates the character and values of a gracious and humble person whose personal and professional achievements demonstrate that we not only possess the power and passion to make a difference but that power and passion can be clearly communicated and shared with others.

I have been familiar with the FIRST experience since 1994, and I can name dozens of men and woman whose selfless dedication and commitment, whose energy and efforts have changed so many lives for the better, more than qualify them for WFA recognition. And I don’t even know 1% of all the deserving mentors.

I am asking the young members of FIRST to recognize the importance of what these wonderful people are doing, I am asking that you set aside the time, and make the effort to share your love and gratitude by taking the time to script a WFA nomination, and in so doing, share the wonderful gifts you have received.

Please, take the time to reflect on the importance and value of great mentorship, and then communicate your love and understanding of this cherished resource by nominating a mentor from your team!

With my deepest respect,

Michael Bastoni
A person who was nominated by gracious and giving students, who continue to achieve wondrous success in living and giving.

[Lcalef]

My team won the Woody Flowers Award in 1997. My name and our team name was announced and my whole team piled on top of me! I didn't know that we had submitted an entry, so I was totally taken by surprise. A few students got together and made that happen for our team and for me. I will never forget them, that year's team, or the first time in my life that my knees actually "knocked" as I walked down the steps of the huge bleachers at Disney up on to the National stage! Our team is still reaping the honors of the nomination from just a few students initiative!

There are so many special people involved in FIRST. A big problem, especially with "science type" people, is that they don't brag about themselves. This is the time!!! Brag about that special person on your team that makes it happen for you! Get involved! It is so much better to do, than to watch!

Liz Calef, Team 88

[Rich Kressly]

Wow.
Baker, Bastoni, Calef ... all in a single thread.
In itself, this should be impetus for teams to stand up, notice, and submit.

How cool would it be to overwhelm judges with all of these wonderful, personalized stories about FIRST's most influential people?

900+ registered teams, and I know every team has AT LEAST one of these stories to tell. Even if your team hasn't considered it until this late date, a 600 word essay can easily be completed in three days. Let's celebrate leadership and commitment of the best kind.

[team222badbrad]

Originally Posted by Rich Kressly

Even if your team hasn't considered it until this late date, a 600 word essay can easily be completed in three days. Let's celebrate leadership and commitment of the best kind.

Lol 3 days? try 1

you can take a guess as to who we are gonna nominate...

[Solace]

1? hey man, we pulled ours off in the last 4 hourse. Let's hear it for procrastination!

[MisterX]

Although we didn't actually submit ours until the Thursday before we had been thinking about it all season and the Woodie Flowers Award truly is a great honor and hopfully every team submitted someone. Because truly these mentors give up a lot for us kids and I know, personally, if it hadn't been for our's the school would not have allowed to compete this year and build one of our best robots ever, guarantee it!

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH BILL for always being there to help us out and giving up all of your time (and then some) during this season!!!!!

P.S. if I remember correctly our essay is exactly 521 words

[J Flex 188]

i would think that if these mentors meant so much to all teams, maybe we could put a bit more time and consideration into the essays and photos than 4 hours or a day before they are due . but then again, every team is different and has x amount of people right =)

good luck to all teams who submitted!