Hello there, my name is Shelley and for the last 8 years I have been dedicated to youth robotics here in Calgary, with an amazing not for profit, Alberta Tech Alliance Association. On April 8th we got the exciting news that our FIRST Robotics Challenge Team, 4421 FORGE Robotics, qualified for the World Championship in Houston, Texas. We had 1 whole day to pay the fee of $5,750 US, pack up our robot and organize travel for our team and mentors to Houston, Texas to attend this amazing event from April 17th to 19th.

Why is this so amazing? This is the culmination of the hard work of 30 students and their dedicated volunteer mentor team. Out of over 3,460 teams across 28 countries, only 600 FRC Teams are invited to this event. I believe in this program because of the impact it has on our youth. These teenagers learn the joys of teamwork, the thrill of competition and the skills of engineering, CAD, construction and computer programming. Over my 8 years I've watched our alumni go on to start their own companies in Silicon Valley, become Engineers, Software Developers and the tech leaders that our community needs.

If you can spare a few dollars, we'd sure appreciate help paying that Championship Fee! Our students, our volunteer mentors and our families all thank you. GO FORGE!