Jr. FLL - Overview

Name: Starting Jr. FLL in Grand Junction
Type: Service, Creativity
Date: August- Mid-September 2016

Jr. FLL, or Junior FIRST LEGO League, is a program for grades K - 4 that aims to inspire kids to pursue the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) (just like all the programs of FIRST) through exploring a yearly concept in science-fair fashion, and creating a LEGO model to represent their understanding.

This is a self-motivated effort to bring the program of Jr. FLL to the Grand Valley, and to host a Jr. FLL Expo at the end of the teams' season that brings in teams from Mesa County and Garfield County in Colorado.

So far my progress includes informing myself about Jr. FLL to become the local contact for all local teams who are just starting to launch themselves into their seasons. I've been reaching out to local elementary schools (including Holy Family Catholic School and Pomona Elementary, and soon Caprock Charter School), the local Girl Scout Troops, and soon the Math and Science Center. I've secured Redlands Middle School as the location of the Expo Event through District 51, and I've been preparing to host a Kickoff Event at the public library for teams to get excited about starting the season and finish getting registered.

So far, the local interest has grown from 0 to 5 teams in Grand Junction, and from 2 teams in Garfield County to 4 teams. I'm excited to have a minimum of 9 teams attending the Expo Event, set for Mid- December. It should also be mentioned that I'm starting and mentoring one of the local teams. After this week, the focus will shift from garnering interest to getting volunteers for the event from both my Hi Fives Robotics Team and from Mesa State College students.

Here are my roles as Jr. FLL Grand Junction Coordinator outlined:
(I did this as a visual for Raleigh, who I'm mentoring in taking on the program for next year when I graduate, but found it appropriate to add it here now :)

Note: This is just an overview of the activity, a more reflective analysis is coming in the next post.

Jr. FLL GJ Coordinator

• Planning and Executing the annual Grand Junction Jr. FLL Expo at the end of the season
• Hosting a Jr. FLL Kickoff at the beginning of the Season
• Following up and making sure teams are registered at the beginning of the season
• Knowing Jr. FLL and being able to answer questions/ guide new teams through registration
• Being a link between Jr. FLL, the Hi Fives, and FIRST Representative in Denver.

Nursing Homes, Continued..

Name: Beauty Queens Visit at Comfort Care Homes
Type: Service
Date: September 09, 2016

I've been a volunteer with HopeWest Hospice Care for over a year now, but yesterday's experience was one which was completely worthy of writing about. We went to a nursing home which I'd gone to last many months ago up in the Redlands to paint the ladies' nails and do a facial for them, and to generally speak with them and ask the about their days. Well, yesterday I noticed one of the ladies and invited her to come get a facial, and she told me yea, she remembered how this worked from last time we were here. It turned out that she was the very same lady I'd gotten last time we came to that nursing home which I'd liked so much, and here she was again. I hadn't recognized her, but she'd recognized me! I was ecstatic. After doing her facial to the best of my abilities, I gave her a hug and walked her to the backyard so she could go outside for a little bit. It's this kind of super-bonding moments that I live for, the fact that two individuals from two completely different worlds could and should interact together for the mutually beneficial effect their encounter has on both of them.

I wonder if I should return to the nursing home to visit with this lady again just for the fun of it. I know that not a lot of people visit those in their old age, which is something that particularly concerns me, because I know that in the culture I come from elders are typically expected to be taken care of by their children even unto their death. Nursing homes are a concept not very heard of on Ecuador. I understand that sometimes the heavy needs of the elderly could be burdensome on the working individual, specially in America where the culture has it so that families easily disperse to different corners of the country from the rest of their families in pursuit of their financial security, but the company of their family should be almost indispensable for any individual. People crave other's company, and will always have a need for it, even if they deny it.

I also question the morality of my opinions given the fact that my family also lives far away from the rest of our family (my grandparents included). Should I also call my grandparents (and my family) more often? If I am troubled by this problem in my volunteering and in the world, I should first aim to address it in my daily life...