FullSTEAM

Throwback to last month at the 4th Annual STEM Exploration Community Event hosted by our Partners at COVA STEM Hub! ?? This was our 2nd time supporting and it was such an impactful time engaging with children and adults about Robotics, building shapes and structures, and Coding ?? The community truly came together to provide amazing exhibits and a special shout out to @bciocnnva for hosting at their cutting edge facility! We made new connections that will soon become Partners with shared missions of introducing more STE(A)M career paths to students and adults. Looking forward to next year! ??

The FullSTEAM x City of Norfolk, VA After School Program is back! ?? This is our 2nd year executing this program and for 2024/2025, we've expanded to 3 more Community Centers that have after school enrollment for a total of all 8 Community Centers with after school enrollment in Norfolk! ?? Our first sessions were great seeing returning students and new students that built 2D and 3D shapes ????? The renewal of a grant from the Virginia General Assembly for COVA STEM Hub was instrumental in the continuation of this program and we're grateful for their support and to @norfolkparksrec for continuing to partner with us to bring STEAM Education to their students! Follow us at FullSTEAM to see what we'll be doing next month ??

STEAM Mondays at YELLOW are back in session! ?? We kicked off September with a Communication activity using building blocks to emphasize the importance of clear instructions; relaying the instructions clearly and listening carefully to receive instructions. This month we worked on Coding with Sphero RVRs to discuss how technology can be leveraged in times of natural disasters ?? What are we doing next month? ?? Follow us at FullSTEAM to find out!

Throwback to a couple months ago at @fastforwardshoedrive Annual Shoe Drive! ?? This was our first time supporting this event by engaging students and adults in building 2D + 3D shapes along with exposure to the @sphero Indi bot ?? It was amazing to see hundreds of shoes donated to students before the school year kicked off. Please give them a follow at @fastforwardshoedrive to learn more and support their mission!

Announcing our newest Community Partner The Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc. ??! This is how they got started and the direction they're going ?? "On Friday, June 17, 2022, the founders of The Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc. experienced a life-changing moment: they had the promise that their student loans would be paid in full by Pharrell Williams and the Something In The Water Music Festival. This was only possible due to the combined years of advocacy between the speakers and organizers of the student debt panel on that life-changing day. Before the founders could leave the room, they knew they had to bring this same impact to other HBCU students. That day led to the creation of The Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc., founded on August 22, 2023. The Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization organized and operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. The Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc. is devoted to serving recent graduates and students of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU). The endeavor of The Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc. is to pay the student loan debt in-full for accepted members along with providing key foundational postgraduate support towards the recent graduates and current students of HBCUs.? The Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to helping students further their education by providing access and connections to health related services & mental health support services, access to first-time home owner programs, financial uplift & literacy programs, and paying off the full balance of student loans for our members while also providing support for members to pursue higher education degrees." We're excited about this partnership to introduce the students we serve to more college opportunities and fulfilling the M in STEAM to provide financial literacy programs! ?? Stay tuned ??

Taking it back to July for the Annual REECH Foundation REECH foundation STEAM Day + Sports Camp! This is our 2nd year supporting REECH as a Partner and we had a blast teaching students and adults about 2D + 3D Shapes and Coding ?? Looking forward to their 10th Camp next year!

?? Announcing our newest Grant Partner Virginia Natural Gas ! Virginia Natural Gas has history dating back to 1850 and serves more than 310,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Southeastern Virginia. Children + Education is one of their Key Areas of Focus and we're grateful to be one of the dozens of organizations that benefit from their charitable giving across five different Key Areas of Focus ?? Stay tuned to see how we collaborate in the upcoming 2024-2025 school year to serve students in underserved communities!

Throwback to a couple weeks ago with our City of Norfolk, VA Parks & Recreation students! Watch until the end for the race ?? ?? Here's a video recap of the 2024 STEAM Summer Camp at 10 Community Centers in Norfolk. Students learned about Autonomous Vehicles and Electrical Circuits while building their own circuits and coding drones to fly ?? ????

Announcing our new Grantor Partner Langley Federal Credit Union ?? Earlier this year we received a grant approval from The Langley for Families Foundation and we're grateful to start this partnership! With almost 100 years of existence as a credit union and roughly 10 years as a Foundation, they've made positive impacts in Virginia and we look forward to continuing the mission with their support.

?? 10 City of Norfolk, VA Community Centers ?? 300+ students participated ?? 2024 STEAM Summer Camp Video recap coming soon ??