Charitable arm donates more than $600,000; company also provides more than 75 employee volunteers
Published 04-23-13
Submitted by Motorola Solutions Foundation
Through grants of more than $600,000 and hundreds of hours of volunteer time, the Motorola Solutions Foundation, the charitable arm of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI) and Motorola Solutions employees, are providing students around the world an opportunity to experience hands-on engineering through the FIRST® Robotics program. FIRST, which stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” is an international organization with a mission to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills. Under the challenges set up by FIRST every year, engineer volunteers and students collaborate and compete by building, programming and driving robots designed to overcome different challenges.
KEY FACTS
SUPPORTING QUOTES
Matt Blakely, director, Motorola Solutions Foundation
“We are so proud of our employees and the students they mentor this year for all of their successes on and off the competition field. The FIRST Robotics program is a fantastic example of the power of mentoring as it inspires students to pursue and develop their passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This program teaches them that careers in engineering and technology are fun, relevant and possible.”
Patrick Claeys, senior mechanical engineer, Motorola Solutions, and mentor, FIRST Robotics Team MotoRobo
“My involvement with FIRST – and FRC in particular – has been rewarding, enlightening, and exciting to say the least. Before I started at MSI 7 years ago, I had no idea that a program like this existed or the impact that it has on the students – and not to mention, myself. This program has shown me as an engineer and team mentor how to teach, guide, and lead the students, and allowed me to pass along the knowledge that I’ve picked up along the way to help them understand the basic concepts of science, technology, engineering, and math.”
Tom Boehm, software engineer, Motorola Solutions, and mentor, FIRST Robotics Team Raiders
“This program successfully prepares high school students for the engineering world and sets them up to be valuable contributors to engineering firms like Motorola Solutions. Everyone wins with this program.”
Dave Layshock, system engineering director, Motorola Solutions, and mentor, FIRST Robotics Team Ragnarök
“FIRST Robotics provides a variety of experiences to students rarely found in a high school environment: leadership, teamwork, planning, project execution, problem resolution and competition. The six intense weeks of the build cycle provide invaluable knowledge and insight into designing and deploying in the real world!”
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About Motorola Solutions Foundation
The Motorola Solutions Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Solutions. With employees located around the globe, Motorola Solutions seeks to benefit the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships and fostering innovation. The Motorola Solutions Foundation focuses its funding on public safety, disaster relief, employee programs and education, especially science, technology, engineering and math programming. For more information on Motorola Solutions Corporate and Foundation giving, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/giving.
About Motorola Solutions
Motorola Solutions is a leading provider of mission-critical communication solutions and services for enterprise and government customers. Through leading-edge innovation and communications technology, it is a global leader that enables its customers to be their best in the moments that matter. Motorola Solutions trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “MSI.” To learn more, visit www.motorolasolutions.com. For ongoing news, please visit our media center or subscribe to our news feed.
MOTOROLA, MOTO, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2013 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
At Motorola Solutions, our work makes a difference in the critical moments that shape lives, businesses and the world, but our contributions don’t end there. Our company gives back to the communities where it operates through the Motorola Solutions Foundation.
The Foundation, which has donated more than $100 million over the last 10 years, aims to partner with organizations that are creating safer cities and equitable, thriving communities, and prioritizes support for underrepresented populations, including people of color and women. The Foundation focuses its giving in four key areas:
In addition, the Foundation aims to partner with organizations that align to our values of accountability, innovation, impact, diversity and inclusion.
The Foundation is one of the many ways in which our company lives out its purpose to help people be their best in the moments that matter.
About Motorola Solutions
Motorola Solutions is a global leader in public safety and enterprise security. Our solutions in land mobile radio communications, video security & access control and the command center, bolstered by managed & support services, create an integrated technology ecosystem to help make communities safer and businesses stay productive and secure. At Motorola Solutions, we’re ushering in a new era in public safety and security.
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