The Foundation honors FIRST Lego League

SUNY Polytechnic Institute K-12 Outreach Coordinator Elizabeth Rossi (far left) with members of the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties and community contributors at the annual Celebration of Philanthropy, May 12, 2016.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s FIRST Lego League was among the various award winners celebrated by The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties during the organization’s annual Celebration of Philanthropy event.

Held at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica on May 12, more than 200 community members were in attendance to honor the organization’s partners in philanthropy and celebrate grant recipients.

The Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to SUNY Polytechnic Institute (then known as SUNY Institute of Technology or SUNYIT) to start a FIRST Lego League in Utica.

“Our community is incredibly generous and dedicated to helping others succeed. The Celebration of Philanthropy is a time to recognize unsung heroes – each and every person who invests in our community and believes in the future of our region,” said Alicia Dicks, president/CEO of The Foundation.

FIRST LEGO League is an international program engaging children in fun, meaningful and experiential learning as team of children in ages ranging from 9 to 14 use LEGO robotics kits to design, build, and program robots to maneuver a field of timed missions.

“Students are having so much fun that they don’t even realize the valuable skills they’re developing in terms of critical thinking and team building. They also are being exposed to STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – and are hopefully inspired to pursue a career in one of these fields,” said Jan Squadrito, senior community investment manager at The Foundation.

The program at SUNY Poly has grown considerably since its inception, now including 60 teams with an average of seven to eight students per team.

SUNY Poly offers the full portfolio of FIRST robotics programs, including the Junior FIRST LEGO League for children ages 6 to 9, FIRST Tech Challenge for students in grades seven to 12 and FIRST Robotics Competition for students in grades nine to 12.

Many local teams have advanced to state, regional and international competitions since the program launched in 2008.

SUNY Poly K-12 Outreach Coordinator Elizabeth Rossi, who retired from the position in May 2016, was onhand for the event.