We are a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization
Password:
Sponsors
Our team sponsors are the most crucial element of our team - without them, there would be no team. Through the generous support of the Meriden Board of Education, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Big Country Hickory Pit BBQ, R&D Precision, and various local businesses and individuals, our team is able to compete every year. In addition to thanking our current sponsors, Team 228 is always looking for new sponsors to assist our team financially. By sponsoring our team, your company will be listed here on our website, on our robot, robot cart, team tee-shirts, and any team give-aways produced by our team for that season.
We would like to graciously thank all of our team sponsors for their generosity. Without there assistance, our team would not be able to exist. If you own, or work for, a company that would like to sponsor Gus Robotics and/or FIRST, then please contact our team coach for more information. We are currently a pending 501(c)3 non-profit organization, to facilitate non-school district grants and corporate sponsorship of our team.
If your company cannot donate financially to our team, then the donation of services or items to our team are always welcome! Some examples of services that are very helpful to our team are CNC manufacturing, powder coating and/or anodizing, welding (mostly aluminum) and printing and graphics services. Or if you would like to donate any used equipment in good condition to our team, you can still enjoy the benefits of such donation being tax-deductible.
Current Team Sponsors
Here are all of Team 228's current sponsors and suppliers:
Big Country Hickory Pit BBQ
Sponsor • Team Sponsor
As a local family-owned business with a large appetite for delicious barbeque, Big Country Hickory Pit BBQ caters to large fairs and public events all around Connecticut, including state fairs and the Meriden Daffodil Festival.
CUNO Foundation
Sponsor • Non-Profit Grant
The CUNO Foundaton gave us this generous grant to buy three new, 27 inch, Mac computers, software, network supplies, and a printer. This will be used to train students in 3D computer animation and videography.
Meriden Board of Education
Sponsor • School System Sponsor
As the School District for all of the public Meriden, Connecticut schools, the Meriden Board of Education helps shape the lives of thousands of students every year. Ever since 2005, the Meriden B.O.E. have been among the top three sponsors of our team.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Sponsor • Corporate Sponsor
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical corporation dedicated to "extend and enhance human life by providing the highest quality pharmaceuticals and health care products".
R&D Precision
Sponsor • CNC Fabrication Services
From X-Ray machines to crane parts, this local CNC sheet metal manufacturing company does it all. Regardless of the part you need, if it's sheet metal, they can get it done.
JL Precision
Sponsor • CNC Fabrication Services
JL Precision is a leading Bay Area sheet metal machine shop that specializes in high-precision, fast turn around components for both R&D projects and large production runs.
Micro Insert Inc.
Sponsor • CNC Fabrication Services
Micro Insert Inc. provided CNC machining resources to our team, fabricating seven distinct parts used on our 2010 robots.
SolidWorks
Sponsor • Software Donation
SolidWorks is an international leader in computer aided design (CAD) software, being used by over 750,000 engineers and designers at 80,000 companies worldwide. SolidWorks donates Student Editions of SolidWorks to our team to teach students and to design our robots.
Disney/ABC/ESPN
Sponsor • Corporate Sponsor
Disney made a corporate donation of 4 Disney Park Hopper tickets used in a sponsorship raffle to raise funds for the team.
How can I help?
The generous financial sponsorship by individuals and companies such as yours ensure that our team can continue to inspire the students of today to the amazing careers and world of tomorrow. Team 228 is currently a pending 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so all contributions (financial or otherwise) to our team are tax-deductible. Read more about how you can help our team.
Team 228's Wish List
Would you or your business like to donate to our team, but is not sure how? Then donate to our team! We are a pending 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so all donations are tax-deductible. See our Wish List page for items/services that we would would be able to use. Every donor will be listed on our website.
Special Thanks from Team 228
Although Team 228's main corporate sponsors are crucial to our team, there are many more smaller, "behind the scenes" people and companies that help our team. Whether they donate supplies, meals, or help volunteer and/or organize, these individuals and companies are important to the everyday running of our team. For a list of all the individuals and corporations that have donated supplies and services to our team, please see our Special Thanks page.
About Gus
Gus Robotics Team 228 was founded in 1999 to bring the excitement and inspiration of the FIRST Robotics Competition to students from Meriden and Wallingford, CT. Since then, our team has grown to include over thirty students from five high schools located in these towns.
About FIRST
FIRST was founded in 1989 by the renowned inventor Dean Kamen. The aim of FIRST is to inspire students to careers in math, science, and technology through a fun and engaging robotics competition, which provides students with the ability to meet one-on-one with industry leaders and engineers.
The initial FIRST Robotics Competition comprised of 28 teams competiting in a New Hampshire high school gymnasium. The ensuing years brought rapid growth to the program, to include over 35,000 students, 1,800 teams from 11 countries, competing at over 50 District and Regional Events, culminating with the World Championship Event in Atlanta, Georgia.
Behind every robot is a story, a story of late nights and early mornings, of machining parts and typing code, and a rush to get everything done in only six weeks. Learn more about the design and engineering behind our robots.