Rotary Club presented STOKE’s Broadwater Robotics Program $3500
Author: Matt Nelson
Matt Nelson
On Tuesday, November 11th, the Rotary Club of Townsend presented a check of $3500 to support STOKE’s Broadwater Robotics Program, of which $2000 went to the STOKES program, of which the Robotics group is a subset. The remaining $1500 went for the work the STOKE students did cleaning up trash from the Fall Fest.
The Rotary contribution will support the teams in their needs for equipment, snacks, and even travel to upcoming completions. The Club works through Challenges presented through an international competition league called FIRST. (firstinspires.org).
Quoting from their website, “FIRST® robotics programs deliver hands-on STEM education to schools, afterschool programs, and community learning spaces. Each program offers fun, age-appropriate challenges tied to a yearly theme to help build STEM interest and adaptable skills, preparing students for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) careers and leadership in a tech-driven world.”
The teams build practice and strategize from late August with the season ending with a State Tournament at Montana State University.
In follow-up to the Rotary presentation, the Fall Fest event has gotten larger to produce many elements of the event have been delegated to other organizations to streamline the processes by which the event functions. For nearly 10 years, the FFA group has produced beloved Funnel Cakes, Hot Chocolate, and Coffee to morning patrons; this opportunity has become a primary Fundraiser for that group. Skills USA provides the heavy lifting required to get the event set up on Thursday and Friday, and Townsend Youth Baseball, for the past 2 years, has committed to event tear-down/cleanup on Sunday evenings, a time when Rotarians are nearly exhausted from the weekend’s excitement. This commitment continues after Rotary generously stepped up with a contribution of $10,000 to promote the formation of the High School Baseball Program.
In 2024, Rotary teamed up with STOKE’s Broadwater Robotics to keep the park looking great throughout the event. During this time, the Robotics Team members were allowed to sell Raffle tickets with $100 gift cards to local businesses up for grabs.
After a great 2024 year, in 2025 Rotary also commissioned the Robotics program to run a very well-attended STEM Booth. In the booth, attendees could observe 3D printing in operation, and well as 3D scanning, building with Legos, and computer coding demonstrations. Additionally, on Saturday, a coach provided flint knapping demonstrations and even let some students craft pieces as well.
The Rotary Club was excited to see their investment in action and enjoyed the camaraderie with the STOKE board of directors as well, as both groups observed the practices of the Middle school and High School students at The Lodge of Townsend.
Broadwater Robotics is free to almost 30 students this year, just like all STOKE programs. For many years, the Rotary Club’s generosity shines most brightly for High School graduates at graduation, when in reality the club works year-round to support many youth activities to facilitate opportunities for Parks, Scout Projects, Programs, Bike Rodeo, and the Slice of Summer Events.
On Saturday, November 22nd, the FIRST© Tech Challenge for 9th through 12th Grade students is having a State Robotics competition in Butte.
STOKE stands for SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, OUTDOORS, KNOWLEDGE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP. The Stoke Montana website is https://stokemt.org/
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PhotoCredit: Matt Nelson
Image 1 Caption: Rotary Club President Doug Sitton presents a check of $3500 to Broadwater County STOKE Robotics representative Kathryn Six.
Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
