Community sponsorship of teams through ARBC

ARBC uses community donations and volunteer labor to sponsor teams that are operated either by groups of parents, by private/public schools, or by home-school groups.  ARBC does not directly operate teams, supply coaches for teams, or place students on teams.  

Community sponsorship for FLL Explore teams through ARBC includes:

• Facilitating team formation by:
  • collecting information from interested parents/students (pre-registration), and
  • encouraging parents to step forward as volunteer coaches, mentors, and support staff for the students
• Providing certain administrative services to lessen coaching burdens:
  • collecting per-student contributions to team seasonal startup costs
  • using collected funds to defray the cost of seasonal registrations and uniforms (t-shirts)
  • registering teams (national program)
  • coordinating team t-shirt purchases
  • applying for grants (when applicable)
  • holding our own local Expositions (to lower travel time/expense, and Expo registration costs)
• Loaning LEGO WeDo kits and other LEGO materials to teams each season, and maintaining the kits between seasons
• Advising to/consulting with team parents and coaches
• Organizing team participation in community events and fundraising activities 

ARBC’s sponsorship of teams covers basic costs of team operation, including a small reimbursement to coaches for Exposition preparation materials (such as a tri-fold board, markers, paper, etc).  Depending on team goals, teams may spend additional money on field trips or other experiences and materials for the team members; these expenses are the responsibility of the team parents.