Commercial Integrator + Security Sales October 2024 - 26

CI
#AVGIVESBACK: ROSIE RIVETERS & COWAVITS
year, students in Aurora Public Schools
saw women and men of all backgrounds
and demographics engaging with creative
technology, learning and having fun.
And fun is a big part of our story - not
only for the students but also for the
instructors and the volunteers. All of us,
as AV professionals, can get caught up in
the day-to-day grind of our jobs, Mitchell
acknowledges. And she believes, for
COWAVITS volunteers like her, classroom
STEM programs are the perfect antidote.
" You step out of [the everyday] and you
step into that school, " she refl ects joyfully.
" And I saw 20-some volunteers remember
their inner child and what it was like to be
a tactile learner where you could touch it,
hear it, see it and feel it. "
It's a potent reminder to carve out time
to volunteer - especially by serving children
in our public schools. " It brings out
a really special component of who you are
and the pride of what you do, " Mitchell
adds, " instead of another copy-and-paste
email sent in the day. "
Long-Term Commitment
Greer emphasizes that Rosie Riveters
doesn't merely swoop into a district,
run a program and sweep out; instead,
the organization embraces long-term
commitment. To that end, it has applied
for another grant application to continue
programming for Aurora Public Schools.
" It's not just a one-and-done thing, " she
says. " It's evolving. How do we expand
it? How do we do more of it? How do we
create this in a continued-engagement
model? " It's all in service of the organization's
long-term goal of making STEMrelated
careers part of everyone's story
- part of the narrative that guides kids'
trajectory as they approach graduation,
apprenticeship, trade school or college.
" These [careers] are for you, " Greer
declares, boiling Rosie Riveters' message
down to its simplest takeaway. " These are
opportunities that you can access. These
are things that you can aspire to. These
are horizon lines that you can aim for. "
It's a resonant message for Carroll, who
says young people oſt en apply to work at
McDonald's because that is what they see
every day. In her work with Rosie Riveters,
COWAVITS marshaled a large group of volunteers to support this partnership with
Rosie Riveters and Aurora Public Schools, everyone working in support of spurring
interest among children in STEM and AV.
she aspires to raise students' consciousness
to other businesses and organizations in
their local community, thus planting a
seed for when they go out into the world
and look for a job. " What we're doing,
hopefully, is making a change for two
generations from now, " Carroll says.
" Eventually, this new wave of young professionals
will be confi dent enough in their
technical ability and present themselves. "
Clearly, Rosie Riveters' work with
Aurora Public Schools - and education
institutions across the country - has only
just begun. " We've been speaking to Junho
and others on the team about working
with the STEM teachers and being able to
resource them with additional projects and
activations and kits, " Greer enthuses. She
adds, " I really feel like this district gets it. "
The Next Chapter
According to Mitchell, COWAVITS is
likewise excited to write its next chapter
with Aurora Public Schools. However, a
round of fundraising will have to precede
the next big initiative. " We have a pretty
good idea and a vision for how this works
and how to make it even better next
time, " Mitchell says. Her colleagues and
she plan to fundraise through the fall and
winter, and then perhaps roll out a new
kit and a new lesson by spring 2025.
Raising money and getting these
initiatives off the ground may be hard
work, but it's also good work. " There is an
26 Commercial Integrator+Security Sales & Integration | October 2024
opportunity to do something incredibly
fulfi lling and worthwhile within our communities, "
Mitchell beams. " And it is very
little eff ort if it means putting a smile on a
kid's face. " Doo feels the same way, saying,
" To have people come in and just share
life and share experiences and make these
connections for our students has been
incredibly benefi cial and just wonderful to
see. " He sings the praises of each volunteer
and participant for " ...the fl exibility and
the willingness of everybody who wanted
to participate and bring this to life. "
And even if diversifying the STEM fi eld
and infusing the commercial AV community
with wildly talented young women
doesn't tug at your heartstrings, there's
also the purse strings to consider. As
Greer observes, " Diversity benefi ts everybody.
It is innovation. It changes the game
of what your productivity is. It changes
the game of what your returns look like. If
your team is diverse, you have better and
more exciting outputs. " It's a reminder
that, as incredible as the #avtweeps community
and our technology is, the upside
potential is truly without limit.
This collaboration between Rosie
Riveters, COWAVITS and Aurora Public
Schools is a beacon of what passionate
collaborators can achieve when they align
behind a shared vision and allow genuine
inspiration to guide their steps. Join the
mission by going to RosieRiveters.com or
by visiting AVGives.com. CI
COURTESY COREY CHRISTIANSEN AND CALANDRA ANTHONY.
http://www.RosieRiveters.com http://www.AVGives.com
Commercial Integrator + Security Sales October 2024

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