Calling all FIRST Supporters!

The Upstate FIRST Regional Leadership Team needs your help! As FIRST continues to expand in Western NY, we need excited and dedicated advocates like you to help grow the program and get the word out. We currently have a handful of dedicated volunteers that give their time year after year to ensure FIRST programs in the area (FLLJr, FLL, FTC and FRC) are a success, but as we grow and these seasoned leaders move on, the need for new, fresh faces becomes more important. If this group doesn’t continue to grow with FIRST in NY, our program will not be sustainable. We will not be able to allow every student who wants to participate in FIRST program join a team or compete in a local event.

Typically when people are asked to donate their time to FIRST, the initial reaction is to either volunteer at an event or mentor (which usually requires technical skills). The Upstate NY FIRST Leadership Team needs the help of people from all walks of life to accomplish our goal of growing FIRST. There are 7 key areas that are needed for the success of the FIRST program in Upstate NY. Below are the areas with the key deliverables:

• Finance & Budget
  • Develop Financial plan to fund events and team activities
  • Write grants, proposals, and applications
  • In kind support for teams
  • Budget preparation
• Sponsor Recruitment & Development
  • Recruit sponsors for events
  • Recruit sponsors for local teams
  • Corporate engagement as potential funders and sources of mentors
• Government Engagement
  • Identify potential government officials to support the FIRST program
  • Create presentation to increase knowledge of FIRST
  • Setup and facilitate meetings with government officials
• Volunteer Coordinator and Retention/Succession Planning for Key Volunteer Roles
  • Volunteer Recruitment
  • Event Volunteer Supervision
  • Volunteer Recognition
  • Volunteer recruitment and retention for key leadership roles
  • Develop and Implement Succession plan for Key Volunteer Roles
• Team & School Development/Growth
  • New Team/School recruitment
  • Mentor/Engineer Recruitment
  • Workshops and support events (i.e. Kickoff)
• Competition Strategy for FRC in NY
  • Support competition event needs of Upstate NY teams
  • Identify potential sites for another Upstate Regional
  • Identify potential sites for Upstate District events
• Alumni & Scholarships
  • Create network of FIRST alumni and track their careers post high-school
  • Coordinate scholarship opportunities
  • Identify and bring in alumni for event volunteers and mentors

We ask that you please review the key deliverables of these important positions and respond to Rick Bryant, Richard.bryant@xerox.com, by July 25th for any positions you are interested in. Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Rick, Glen or any of the contacts listed below.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Ron Borden, FIRST Senior Mentor, rborden@firstinspires.org

Rick Bryant, Finger Lakes Regional Planning Chair, Richard.bryant@xerox.com

Dante Dilella, RCR Chair, ddillela@esl.org

Elissa Nesbitt, Xerox Foundation, elissa.nesbitt@xerox.com

Glen Pearson, FIRST Regional Director, gpearson@firstinspires.org

Elayne Stewart, FLL Affiliate Partner, elayne.m.stewart@rochester.edu

Rebecca Wasmer, FIRST Senior Mentor, rwasmer@firstinspires.org