AFCEA Educational Foundation Supports Future STEM Leaders

From 5K Fun Runs, golf tournaments and cycling events, to luncheons and galas, AFCEA members came together with enthusiasm in 2019 in support of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. For example, the Lexington-Concord Chapter hosted a 5K Family Fun Run for STEM, and the Dayton-Wright Chapter hosted a golf tournament to benefit its scholarship funds. In addition, the San Diego Chapter held its Fifth Annual Cycle for STEM ride, and the Los Angeles Chapter introduced its inaugural Cycling for STEM ride to fund local scholarships.

Chapters around the country also hosted celebrations to present awards and scholarships to deserving recipients. At its annual scholarship awards dinner, the Aberdeen Chapter was proud to commit more than $89,000 in scholarships and grants to STEM students and educators. The Central Maryland Chapter also celebrated at an annual awards night where they presented $10,000 scholarships to 17 high school seniors pursuing STEM education, three college-level scholarships, two enlisted service member scholarships and 17 grants, each worth up to $5,000, to K-12 schools, totaling $73,000.

AFCEA chapters also reached out to impact future STEM leaders through teacher support. The Rocky Mountain Chapter sponsored the UCCS [University of Colorado Colorado Springs] STEM Days of Summer Conference, which featured workshops and sessions for teachers and contributed more than $200,000 to local STEM education programs and scholarships. The Tampa-St. Petersburg Chapter hosted the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Challenge Project to enable Tampa Bay high schools to be among the first in the nation to provide students with real-world cybersecurity workforce experience in their classrooms.

The Kaiserslautern Chapter, in partnership with the Department of Defense Education Activity community and SkillsUSA, hosted its Second Annual SkillsUSA Competition. During the competition, more than 120 students competed in career technical education events.

STEM Teaching Tools grants also assisted teachers bringing STEM activities to life in their classrooms. As the foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary, it’s wonderful to see the ways AFCEA chapters continue to support teachers and students in their local communities.

Read more of the amazing activities the Educational Foundation is supporting to promote STEM learning by following the foundation on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Please also consider the foundation when planning charitable giving for this year. Your support contributes to the future of STEM leadership. Consider becoming a member of the AFCEA Leadership Society with a $1,000 donation.

Charitable donations also can be made through the United Way or directly to the Educational Foundation securely online at https://www.afcea.org/secure/donate_form.cfm. You can mail donations to the AFCEA Educational Foundation, 4114 Legato Road, Suite 1000, Fairfax, VA 22033.