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Robotics students take third worldwide Faith Christian beats 447 other teams By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com Sitting around a workshop table, six Faith Christian students laugh and talk as they reminisce on their recent experience winning third place at the 2015 VEX World Robotics Competition. A cheerleader. An intellectual. A theater nerd. A burgeoning engineer. A sporty girl. A computer programmer. “There’s a place for everyone, it doesn’t matter who you are,” said sophomore Keith Horton, the engineer. In April these six students, all part of Team 1826 “The Fuse” — Faith Christian’s
robotics team — headed down to Louisville, Kentucky, for the competition. Once there, the team, one of 450 qualifying teams worldwide, spent the next few days competing in qualifying, divisional tournament rounds and then the world championship round with a robot they’ve been programming, constructing and reconstructing over the last year. “It was pretty surreal … when I was up on stage I was like ‘oh, this is really happening?’ and wasn’t excited, but now I’m all like ‘yay,’” said Alexandra Perkins, a sophomore and lead coach for the final championship round at the competition. “We started this (robot), at this time last year, as soon as this game was announced, we started building.” Faith’s robotics program has steadily Robotics continues on Page 23
Teams from Faith Christian, Ashland, Virginia and Dunwoody, Georgia prayed together before entering one of their tournament rounds. Courtesy photo
NONPROFIT OPERATIONS
MOVING TO ARVADA Milk bank, children’s health agency planning to relocate BY CRYSTAL ANDERSON • CANDERSON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
To accommodate growth and expand services, Denver-based Mothers’ Milk Bank and the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation are relocating to Arvada.
DONATION STATISTICS • Mothers’ Milk Bank processes up to 3,100 ounces of milk daily. • In 2014, the bank processed more than 500,000 ounces of donated breast milk. • Mothers’ Milk Bank has collection depots and receiving hospitals in more than 40 states, and has received donations from donors in all 50 states. • It is the second-largest milk bank in the country, according to a 2014 Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) Conference, and is on the fast track to being No. 1.
One of the Mothers’ Milk Bank technicians mixes different milk donations together to create optimal fat content in the milk supply. Photos by Crystal Anderson “We need to grow,” said Luanne Williams, executive director of the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, which operates the milk bank. “Even though last year we did 500,000 ounces, our goal in 3-5 years is to produce a million ounces, and in order to do that we need to have more space.” Started in 1983, Mothers’ Milk Bank, a nonprofit program of the children’s foundation, receives, pasteurizes and sends donated human breast milk to neo-natal intensive care units (NICUs) across the country, helping pre-term and sick infants thrive. “Around 9 million ounces of milk are needed, per year, to fill the gap between mom’s own milk not being available and pre-term infants who could very much benefit from human milk,” said Laraine Lockhart Borman, director of outreach for the Mothers’ Milk Bank. “Pre-term infant lives can be saved from donor milk,
because it prevents infections.” Beginning in June, the bank and the foundation, which provides a variety of resources to pediatric patients and their families, will be housed at 5394 Marshall St. Currently housed on two campuses at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver, the organizations will double the space for receiving and shipping donated milk as well as allow the bank to add and utilize a stateof-the-art milk processing ISO 7 lab, a distinguishing factor that the group believes would be the first in the country. “We’re kicking it up a notch,” Williams said of the new lab. “Basically, it’s a clean room … it ensures there’s no particulates in the air; it has a special air filtration Nonprofit continues on Page 23
Donated milk is stored in four-and eight-ounce jars following pasteurization, and then shipped out to various hospitals around the nation.