WAYLAND, Mich. — The Wayland Union High School robotics team has punched their ticket to the First Robotics World Championship in Houston, but they need the community's help to get there.
The team recently was part of the winning alliance of teams at the Michigan State First Robotics Competition, which earned their place at the world championship on April 20-23.
The winning alliance also included the Kettering First Center Metal Muscle and the Joan C. Sergent IRC ThunderChickens.
The Wayland Wildcats team has had an outstanding season and looks to continue their success.
The team is led by Rod Killips, a software engineer, and consists of 10 students and seven mentors.
Team members have been working seven days a week for about 30 to 40 hours a week throughout the competitions.
"[Students] learn how to problem solve, they learn how to build, they learn how to do marketing, and business type things, social media... it's really like a small business that has all kinds of aspects to teach kids the various different lessons," Killips said.
"It has a lot of options available, it's really a great place for kids to learn and grow," he said.
Killips explains the program has already helped the kids in numerous ways.
"It's really an opportunity for them to kind of spread their wings and get to know people," he said.
While it takes a lot of funds to keep the program running, Killips says its worth it to see the lasting impacts it has on the students.
"We appreciate all the all the community support we're getting and we really appreciate if you'd go out there and and help us out," he said.
The Wayland Wildcats robotics team is looking to raise $10,000 to help pay the costs that come with competing on the world stage. As of Tuesday evening, the team has already raised a little more than half of their goal.
You can donate to the fundraiser through GoFundMe here.
"Attending the World Competition would be an incredible experience for our team members. They would have the opportunity to meet and compete against other talented students from around the world, learn from experts in the field of robotics, and gain valuable skills that will help them succeed in their future careers," Teresa Fulk, the GoFundMe organizer said.
You can watch the final match at the State Championship here:
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