Daimler Trucks North America to Donate $225,000 to Fund Northwest First Robotics Teams

30 FIRST Teams will be Funded for Grades 4-12 in Oregon and SW Washington

PORTLAND, Ore. – Dec. 14, 2015 – For the third consecutive year, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is donating money to schools in Oregon and Southwest Washington to promote education in science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) through its Daimler Education in Motion campaign. This year, Daimler promoted the opportunity to receive funding for FIRST teams on KGW-TV (NBC), and over 100 schools applied. The 30 schools that were selected to receive funds include:

FIRST Robotics Competition Recipients:

Alliance High School, Portland, Ore.
Beaverton High School, Beaverton, Ore.
Cascade High School, Turner, Ore.
Rosemary Anderson School, Portland, Ore.
Seaside High School, Seaside, Ore.
Summit High School, Bend, Ore.
Triangle Lake Charter School, Blachy, Ore.
Umatilla High School, Umatilla, Ore.
Union High School, Union, Ore.
Vernonia High School, Vernonia, Ore.

FIRST Tech Challenge Recipients:

Banks High School, Banks, Ore.
Canby High School, Canby, Ore.
Chemawa Indian School, Salem, Ore.
Evergreen Middle School, Hillsboro, Ore.
Hermiston High School, Hermiston, Ore.
Pacific Crest Middle School, Bend, Ore.
Patton Middle School, McMinnville, Ore.
Pilot Butte Middle School, Bend, Ore.
Sherman High School, Moro, Ore.
Wilson High School, Portland, Ore.

FIRST Lego League Recipients:

Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School, Beaverton, Ore.
Bridgeport Elementary, Tualatin, Ore.
Centennial Middle School, Portland, Ore.
Conestoga Middle School, Beaverton, Ore.
Durham Elementary, Tigard, Ore.
Jemtegaard Middle School, Washougal, WA
Sauvie Island Academy, Portland, Ore.
Sunnyside Environmental School, Portland, Ore.
Sunset/Millicoma Middle Schools, Coos Bay, Ore.
Woodmere Elementary, Portland, Ore.

A combination of elementary, middle, and high schools comprise the 30 northwestern schools to receive support either to start a new FIRST teams or to help existing teams accomplish more and gain more insight into how science and engineering can be used to solve problems. In addition to receiving funds for a FIRST team, when feasible by location, some selected schools will have Daimler engineers volunteering as mentors to the teams.

“We have approximately 800 engineers working in Portland. It’s at the heart of our business, so supporting FIRST’s mission to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders is a natural fit for us,” said Anahita Crawford, manager of Daimler Education in Motion.

The three levels of FIRST Robotics teams receiving awards include FIRST Lego League (4^th through 8^th grade), FIRST Tech Challenge (7^th through 12^th grade), and FIRST Robotics Competition (9^th through 12^th grade).

“FIRST programs inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills,” said Cindy Lebeau, FIRST Oregon’s regional director. “The programs are designed to inspire innovation and foster well-rounded life capabilities, including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.”

To date, Daimler has donated over $1 million in support of STEM education in Portland and Southwest Washington schools since the Daimler Education in Motion campaign launched in 2013. The Daimler Education in Motion campaign is a collection of DTNA’s giving and mentoring initiatives and its commitment to Portland where the company has been headquartered for over 70 years.

About FIRST
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science, technology, engineering, and math. Programs range from kindergarten to high school and scholarships of over 20 million are available for higher education. Based in Manchester, NH, the not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

About Daimler Trucks North America
Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. It manufactures, sells, and services commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star, Detroit, and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company, the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Bruno Banceu, an engineer at Daimler Trucks North America, gives a tour of the company’s wind tunnel to show Portland students an example of aerodynamics.