Last year the Marysville Robotics Club received $2,500 from the Marysville Community Fund during the Fall Giveaway event. It was one of twelve grants totaling $23,000 that the fund gave away at halftime of a home football game.
Marysville Robotics Coach Jonathan Smith said the grant will allow the team to thrive. “Being recognized by the community fund with this honor shows that our hard work and dedication has proven to be a positive light within our community and surrounding area,” he said. “We hope to continue growing the bond that has been created and look forward to opportunities to work together in the future.”
The Marysville ViBots robotics club plans to use the grant to purchase a customized wrap for the team’s trailer (just as soon as they find someone to repair the paint so the wrap can stick). This is something Smith said many teams have as part of their program, but due to the program’s self-funding nature they have not been able to afford it in the past. He looks forward to being able to showcase their team and community when out at events.
Since its formation in 2013, there have been over 100 students who have participated in the high school program with many more going through the middle school and elementary programs.
“Our programs are open to any student who wishes to participate and learn a new set of skills, or just find a program that can accept them for who they are,” Smith said.
One such student is Reese Lett, a soon-to-be Marysville High School senior who has spent the past six years on the ViBots team as a builder, team driver and co-captain. This fall he will be the lead captain. Lett, who also takes part in the heavy equipment program at St. Clair TEC, sees the benefit of how lessons learned during robotics can translate to a career.
“There are many ways the skills I’ve learned building robots have helped me in my current career as a heavy equipment technician, from learning proper tool use, to mechanics, to respecting the views of others, to the importance of working together towards one common goal,” he said.
But the things he values most about being on the ViBots team is the relationships built along the way. “My favorite part of being on the robotics team is the collaboration and friendships built within my team and other teams all across the state,” Lett said.
“To me, having the support of the Marysville Community Fund Committee means having pride in what we are doing,” he added. “It gives our team that extra drive to push farther and achieve more knowing that people are rooting for us and see value in what we do.”
The Marysville Community Fund is a local grantmaking fund that only provides grants in Marysville. It is governed by a local committee. Their next grant giveaway event is scheduled for Sept. 8.