The Club conducts a number of free or low-cost programs that support the community. These programs include:

Free Coaches’ Training – Each year for the last four years, our officers have provided two to four free seminars for fellow FLL coaches and for those considering starting an FLL team. These seminars typically attract 50 to 100 coaches, the majority of the coaches in our region. Classes cover structural engineering, programming, strategic planning and how to build and support a team.

Free Training for Western MO FLL Teams – In addition, our officers also provide similar training for the kids in our region.

Community Open Houses – Each year, we host two open houses for anyone who’s interested in learning more about FLL, engineering and robotics programs for kids and that year’s research topic. We typically cap attendance at one hundred people, and we usually have a waiting list.

TeamXchange – This is another pilot program that we are introducing for the 2010-2011 school year. Like TeamShare, it’s designed to bring kids from different teams together to learn and share with one another. Unlike TeamShare, however, it brings teams from around the world – not just around the Region, together. In 2010, we will host one team from Germany and send one of our teams there. At the same time, we will launch an initiative to help other teams in our Region meet and work with teams from outside the U.S. These teams will work together throughout the school year to address the real-world problems FLL asks of the kids to focus on each year; through this cross-country experience, they will gain a much larger perspective.

Community Service & Public Service Programs – Each year, we help our kids identify one or more challenges that our community faces and propose solutions. In 2008, the kids created a public service campaign called, “FREEZE to Save the Planet.” They took this campaign to City Hall, Union Station, Rockhurst University, the Western Missouri Regional FLL competition, the U.S. National FLL competition and to the Web. In 2009, they proposed a solution to urban and suburban transportation challenges called Ride and Bike Share A Go Go.

Student Mentoring – Over the years that our kids are with us, they receive so many gifts - great coaching, wonderful experiences in the FIRST programs and amazing opportunities to learn, play and travel.  So, we ask them to pay it forward.  Our high school team mentors our middle school teams, and our middle school teams mentor our elementary school kids.  Besides, one of the surest ways to learn something is teach it.