In 2021, TFCU helped introduce a group of six kids, ages 9 to 14, to the excitement of technology and teamwork by sponsoring their participation in a FIRST® LEGO® League, an international program designed to advance STEM education through hands-on learning.
A group of TFCU employees and their children began meeting in July of 2021 for practices that focused on the league’s core values: discovery, innovation, impact, teamwork, inclusion and fun. The kids named their team — Tinker Tech Gang — designed a logo, planned a presentation project, then designed, built and coded a robot! The Tinker Tech Gang brainstormed, researched and learned how to use the strengths they each brought to the LEGO table, ultimately building a LEGO robot that could complete tasks on a challenge course. With each meet-up, their confidence and friendships grew as they prepared to put their skills to the test at the Oklahoma statewide competition that took place in November 2021. With their game faces on, they worked as a team, encouraged each other and had a blast showing off everything they learned on their first technological journey. The Tinker Tech Gang placed 14th out of 144 Oklahoma teams in the robot challenge category, and did so with huge smiles on their faces. The team plans to reunite in 2022 for even more learning, LEGOs and laughs.
