What's up?! It's Metal Mark here with a couple of thoughts and an organizational update for Renaissance Jax.

To start, I personally hope you are all as safe as can be given the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. This pandemic presents some fairly interesting challenges and I hope that every single one of you has been taking the time to look at those challenges through the lens of your FIRST Experience. Define the Problem. Define the Solution. Consult with Experts. Build a Prototype. Share your work and demonstrate your capabilities.

Renaissance Jax has certainly taken the time in quarantine to do just that. Today on April 30th, 2020 we were invited to speak to major media outlets at UF Shands in downtown Jacksonville because of the work we've done on face shields with our partners in the last three weeks. We've also launched a new digital program called ROBOT BOOTCAMP in a pilot format that will soon be available to the masses. Using video conferencing to teach people hard engineering design skills proved to be a powerful way to teach 3D design.

I am beyond proud of our community for stepping up in this crisis to create major value for our region. This very concept is foundational to why Renaissance Jax exists in the first place - to create value in our community by building good people. Building Robots Builds Good People - and I know you all agree with that sentiment. Let's keep making the right thing happen, building FIRST programs as fast and smart as we can, and rethinking how we define value, understanding, and just-in-time learning.

Let's treat each other kindly and be all that we can be - Build Yourself and build the future with us. I am here for you. Krystal is here for you. Renaissance Jax is here for you.