When an FCGer came to us to see if we’d sponsor the Atholton High School Space RAIDers, a competitive robotics team on which her sons play an active role, we were all in. Not only is it a great initiative, it’s also in our community and our field. 

As a company filled with developers, software engineers, and other awesome Geeks, STEM holds a special place in our hearts. Not to mention the fact that these kids are majorly talented – they recently qualified for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) World Championship, the largest international high school robotics competition, for the second year in a row. Teams from around the world have six weeks to design and build a 120 lb. robot that is shipped to the competition in Detroit (they have to build the shipping container too!) to face off against 30,000 students from other top teams.

The Space RAIDers are just one of the many groups we support because at FCG, when we believe in a cause, we give them our full support. Here are just a few other organizations in our community that we’ve sponsored recently:

– Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association (AFCEA) 5K. This race benefits a scholarship fund, which awards over $200,000 annually to area high school students and teachers focused on STEM fields of study.

– Fort Meade Alliance Backyard BBQ. This organization is near and dear to FCG because it manages charitable initiatives for the Fort Meade installation, military personnel and their families, civilians, and the broader Fort Meade community. In addition to the BBQ, FCG’s CTO, Scott Beall, taught high schoolers at last year’s Tech Mania, an event put on by the Fort Meade Alliance to bolster interest in STEM-based careers.

– American Diabetes Tour de Cure. After another FCGer asked the team to participate in honor of her mom, who was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago, FCG jumped on board…or should we say, on bike. You can find us at the 2018 race on June 3!

Supporting great causes that affect our communities and our people is a huge part of what makes FCG who we are as a company – and, as we see it, a family. Stay up to date with the Atholton High School Space RAIDers by checking them out on Facebook – and give us a follow to see what other great causes we support while you’re at it!