<div>Heavy rain flooded the basement shop used by LINKS Robotics at Tapestry Public Charter School, damaging computers, tools, lumber, robots, and FIRST LEGO League equipment. Help FRC Team 4468 clean up, replace what was lost, and get students back to building.
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<div>On July 17, 2026, heavy rain sent roughly an inch of water into the basement shop LINKS Robotics uses at Tapestry Public Charter School. Water came in under a door after a drain clogged and through leaks around the foundation and drainage system. We discovered the problem on July 22. By then, mold and mildew had already joined the opposing alliance.
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<div>Tapestry has been responsive and is working on the facility side, and we are grateful. The team still faces a long and expensive recovery: renting drying and cleaning equipment, buying soap, filters, protective gear, and other supplies, cleaning or replacing waterlogged materials, testing electronics, repairing robots, and rebuilding the parts of the workspace our students use every week.
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<div><strong>What the water hit</strong> - A surprising amount of a robotics shop lives close to the floor. Among the damage and losses we have identified so far:
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<li>All three desktop computers were on the floor. One HP appears to be working minus the graphics card; two Dell systems are fried.
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<li>Lumber, tools, supplies, and storage materials were soaked or became moldy.
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<li>Several older FRC and BEST competition robots were on the floor and sustained damage.
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<li>Two FRC batteries had to be discarded.
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<li>FIRST LEGO League field tables and materials got wet.
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<li>Our LEGO SPIKE Prime kits appear to have escaped damage - which may be the cleanest autonomous routine we have run all year.
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<div><strong>Why this shop matters</strong>
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<li>LINKS Robotics, FRC Team 4468 and BEST Team 701, is a community high school robotics team that has been Building Robots; Developing Minds; Changing Lives since 2002. We give students from across DeKalb County a place to participate in FRC and BEST Robotics when their own schools do not have a team.
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<li>We also train and support younger students through FIRST LEGO League.
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<li>After graduating a large senior class, we currently have 14 students on the roster - and 27 applications already submitted for the new school year. This should be the season when we welcome new students and teach them to design, build, program, troubleshoot, and lead. Instead, our summer pit crew is running air movers, scrubbing equipment, testing computers, sorting wet parts, and deciding what can still be saved.
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<div>The rug has entered its endgame.
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<div>Longtime LINKS alumni may recognize the blue shag "marketing rug." It has survived years of demos, competitions, storage moves, muddy shoes, and decisions no safety captain would endorse. After the flood,
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<div>we scrubbed it down, clamped it sideways to the orange shelves, and aimed fans at it in one last comeback attempt. It may finally have met an opponent it cannot outscore - but we are still giving it a chance.
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<div><strong>How donations will help</strong>
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<div>Funds raised will support the team-side costs of:
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<li>Emergency drying, cleaning, filters, protective gear, and other recovery supplies
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<li>Replacement or repair of damaged computers, tools, batteries, robot parts, and electronics
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<li>Replacement of lost lumber, FLL field materials, storage, and other shop supplies
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<li>Additional recovery costs uncovered as our inventory continues
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<li>Tapestry is addressing the building and drainage issues. Donations will help restore the team-owned equipment, materials, and learning space inside the building.
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<div><strong>To our alumni, mentors, families, FIRST and BEST friends, and former sponsors</strong>
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<div>Many of you helped build this team, stocked this shop, mentored a student, sponsored a season, or cheered from the stands. The pandemic interrupted many of those connections, but your impact is still visible in every tool, robot, and student who learns here. We would be grateful for your help getting the shop - and our students - field-ready again.
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<div>Every donation moves us from water game back to build season. If you cannot give, sharing this campaign with a LINKS alum, engineer, company, or robotics friend is a real contribution.
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<div>Thank you for helping LINKS Robotics keep Building Robots; Developing Minds; Changing Lives.
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<div>Companies interested in in-kind help such as computers, tools, lumber, storage, cleanup supplies, or services can contact our head coach and mentor, Michael Currier.
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Marcus Gaffney

Syd Lilly

Lance Morley

ginger Eberhard

Anonymous

Phong Le

Bijan Haney

Stephanie Barulic

Elizabeth Perry-Wood

Ramdeep Bhattacharya

Jeff Rees

Help LINKS Robotics Rebuild After a Shop Flood

Help LINKS Robotics Rebuild After a Shop Flood

Still $6,005 to go. Help us build momentum.