Honoring Woodie Flowers Finalist Award Winners

Today we have a guest Blog from Chris Fultz, mentor on FRC Team 234 and 2010 Championship Woodie Flowers Award recipient. FRC Team 234, Cyber Blue, is from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

Each fall, the Championship Woodie Flower Award (WFA) recipients gather for a few days to share stories, talk about teams and discuss how we can help FIRST continue to grow and prosper.  Dr. William Murphy, who founded the award, his wife, Bev, and Margaret Flowers are our wonderful hosts for the weekend. Often, we are able to meet with key FIRST leaders to provide input on special topics. It is an exciting time to be with a group who is so dedicated and passionate about FIRST.  

One of our recent discussions was around ways to provide more recognition to mentors, especially those who have received the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award (WFFA) at a Regional or District Championship. We wanted to find a way to help recognize the partnership that is formed between the mentor, the students and everyone who is a part of a FIRST team.  Each recipient receives a Mobius trophy for home, but we wanted something more.  

So, we worked with FIRST, and for 2015, all Regional and District Championship Woodie Flowers Finalist Award recipients will also receive a "Blue Banner" for their team to display.  This will be a great addition to the banner displays that we know many teams have and are proud of. 

And, for those teams who have a previous WFFA recipient, you can order a banner from First Impressions. The banners can be customized with the event and the year.  We believe this is a great way to honor and recognize your WFFA mentors.