ENGINEERING FOR KIDS OF HAMPTON ROADS, VERIZON FOUNDATION & THE ENGINEERING FOR KIDS FOUNDATION PROVIDES ADDITIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERSERVED/AT-RISK CHILDREN IN CHESAPEAKE AND NORFOLK

​CHESAPEAKE,VA – Engineering For Kids of Hampton Roads in Chesapeake, Va. – this Chesapeake based franchise offering a range of science, technology, math and engineering related learning programs, is excited to expand the programs of their 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Engineering For Kids Foundation into the Hampton Roads area.
 
The Foundation was created in 2014 as an opportunity for Engineering For Kids to provide free S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programming to children in underserved communities. The Foundation’s Mentorship Program is a program that will pair high school students from Grassfield High School “Governor’s STEM Academy” with middle school students from Hugo Owens Middle School to tackle hands-on S.T.E.M. programs at no cost. These programs are being offered to students by Engineering For Kids of Hampton Roads through a Verizon Foundation Grant.
 
The high school and elementary students will spend 6-weeks together building, programming, and testing LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robots. During these Robo Battle classes students will create, program, and control robots designed to perform a different challenge every week culminating with a SumoBots Challenge.
 
 “Through this program, we strive to ignite a passion in students about science, technology, engineering, and math, at a young age and put them on the track to succeed in a S.T.E.M.  related career. With the decline of students pursing degrees in S.T.E. M. employeers are having a hard time finding qualified individuals to fill the jobs in these fields resulting in them having to find qualified candidates that are not from the United States.  This is a travisty and we are working to “Inspire the Next Generation of Engineers through our programs .” Angel Jones , Executive Director of Engineering For Kids of Hampton Roads.