“The joy of watching a robot you created from idea to design to a finished product is unmatched by any other” - Jake Brandwine, Alumni Global Dynamics Team 4026 is heading to the FIRST Championship in Houston, TX! The team had fantastic outings at all district tournaments and at the State Championship, winning the District Competition in Dalton, a FIRST Autonomous Award, a Creativity Award, and the District Engineering Inspiration Award. The Engineering Inspiration award is one of the biggest awards FIRST Robotics gives out. It is given to a team who demonstrates "Outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school or organization and community." So here’s the deal:  The team only has 2 weeks to raise enough money to send the team to the Championship in Houston. Team 4026 will need YOU and ALL of our friends and family to get as far as they can, so please share and support the team by making a donation in any amount. We're also looking for more sponsors. If you or your company is interested in sponsoring the team, please visit www.decaturrobotics.org/sponsor for more information. Sponsorship levels start at $250 and go up to $8,000+. The FIRST Championship is April 17 - 20 in Houston, TX. Check the schedule and team stats online at The Blue Alliance website or stream the competitions live through Georgia FIRST! The team appreciates your support! More about this year’s team:   The team’s robot, nicknamed Roly Poly, wowed the crowd with its innovative and reliable climbing mechanism. It had already gained national attention online before the season even started.  <iframe media_type="0" media_id="zggm4MDhYvw" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zggm4MDhYvw/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe> Team 4026 has 15 returning members and 13 rookies, with girls making up 20% of the team. In its first 7 years, Team 4026 has won the State Championship and advanced to the World Championship level twice, in 2013 and 2016 and has received numerous awards for engineering and innovation in their robot designs. Last year, the team won the Industrial Design Award, two Entrepreneurship Awards, and the Innovation in Control Award. Team 4026 is proud to be the flagship FRC team of Decatur Robotics. The bigger picture, beyond the competition:  Through FRC, the kids have learned to work as a team, acquired new technical skills, repurposed and created innovative uses for materials, written grants and learned from their mistakes, all while having fun!   The team had a busy 2018 off-season out in the community, where members mentored First Lego League (FLL) robotics teams and judged FLL competitions, participated in the SWENext chapter for girls’ STEM outreach, and brought their 2017 “Southpaw” and 2018 “Mantis” robots to schools and festivals to inspire and educate the younger kids. Team 4026 could not operate without our outstanding mentors Ken Craig, Mike Yarnold, Aaron Hillegass, Scott Torrance, and Garret Goebel.  We appreciate the time, energy and patience these guys bring to the development of these young people and the team. And our sponsors:  It says a lot that our sponsors have returned to fund the 2019 build  -- big thanks to Johnson Research &amp; Development, GE, Big Nerd Ranch, Novelis, Automation Direct, KSU, and Decatur Education Foundation (DEF).  Global Dynamics is also one of 13 Decatur Robotics teams benefiting from the 2017 Madison Avenue Soapbox Derby. And you!  We need you to get the team where they need to be to compete against some of the best teams in the state and the nation.  Your contribution in any amount is needed, appreciated and tax deductible through the Decatur Education Foundation.  Your employer may match your donation. Any funds remaining will go to summer outreach and training, and a jump-start on the 2020 build.   Thank you for supporting the team! Make sure to share this page and spread the word for our campaign to friends and family.  Stay in touch through these links and social media: <a href="http://www.decaturrobotics.org">Decatur Robotics Website</a>  <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GlobalDynamics/">Team 4026 on Facebook</a>    <a href="https://www.instagram.com/globaldynamics4026">Team 4026 on Instagram</a>  <a href="http://decaturrobotics.org/sponsor/">Sign up to sponsor, mentor or volunteer</a>    Send us an email at <a href="http://decaturrobotics.org">[email redacted]</a>

InBloom Inc.

Holly Dietrick

KIMBERLY DIAMOND

Anonymous

Alison Kyle

Anna Hinson

Faith Taylor

Alex Schaefer

Shelley Rogers

Mary White 

Brent Darley

Heather Tell

Matthew Unwin

Allison Wray

Bobby & Kathy Slaton

Anne Stewart

Andrew Spratt

ZiZi ElGammal 

Scott DePlonty

Tarik Bezuneh

Send FRC Team 4026 to the World Championship!

Send FRC Team 4026 to the World Championship!

Still $8,263 to go. Help us build momentum.