I want to let you all know about a cool new sponsorship opportunity for all FIRST® teams. In addition to coaching FRC team 7663, I work at ADCO Manufacturing. ADCO designs and builds packaging machinery (check out https://www.youtube.com/user/adcomfg).
ADCO is a member of a trade association called PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies with over 900 members in North America. PMMI member companies build the machines that process and package almost everything you buy at the store from food, soft drinks, medication, and other products that you use every day. PMMI member companies are eager to develop their future engineers, controls programmers, fabricators, assemblers, and sales people by connecting them with local FRC teams. The ownership of ADCO has realized the value of FRC; we have hired three FRC alumni (2 engineers and 1 welder) while supporting a number of local teams with part fabrication, financial donations, mentor support, and team plant tours.
PMMI wants to help connect its member companies with FRC teams around the country. As an incentive to help member companies to get involved, PMMI has created the PMMI U Skills Fund for the Future Workforce. Each PMMI member company can submit up to $50,000 in donations to programs like PRC per year and PMMI will match that donation dollar for dollar. These PMMI member donations can be equipment or financial and can be used for qualifier tournaments. Additionally, PMMI Invites a number of FRC teams to showcase their robots at their annual tradeshow, PACK EXPO – one of the largest tradeshows in North America!
NOTE: This program also applies to FRC qualifier tournaments! If a member company donates to a qualifier (regional or district), PMMI will match those funds!
Visit https://pmmiprod3ebiz.personifycloud.com/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1416 to find PMMI member companies in your area. I strongly encourage you to reach out to these companies to see how you can partner with them. They may be willing to assist with fabrication, provide mentors, or even financial support. When reaching out to PMMI member companies, remind them about the Skills Fund for the Future Workforce. If they have questions about the program, direct them to www.pmmi.org/skills-fund for more information.
Cheers,
Colin Warnes
FRS Team 7663 Coach
www.central7663.org
PS: Make sure your donor company has all of the following information so they can submit your matching gift donation request.
- Program/event Name (your team number & name)
- Program/event URL (your team web site)
- Number of students impacted by program/event
- How will the funds be used (select all that apply)
- Program sponsorship
- Equipment purchase
- Student travel costs
- New program creation
- Other – write in
- School or organization to be receiving the matching funds
- Address
- Suite/Office
- City
- State
- Postal code
- Country
- Phone number
- School/organization web address
- Point of contact first and last name
- Point of contact title
- Point of contact email address
- Point of contact phone number
- Donor company: Supply a letter of receipt of letter of intent reflecting the total amount of value of the donation as a pdf. If manufactured parts are donated, include itemized list of part prices
- Receiving program/event: Supply a thank you letter describing how the funds will be used.