United Way of Benton & Lincoln Counties
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#itsbiggerthanatrailer
Dale McCauley and trailer

Dale McCauley, Program Manager with the OSU Austin Entrepreneurship Program proudly displays the newly-purchased trailer now being crafted into a mobile laboratory to teach high school students more about the world of business.


It's bigger than a trailer.

Here at United Way, we are very excited to work in strategic partnership with the Oregon State University College of Business to put real-world tools about business in the hands of high school students.

It's called Mobile Makerspace - a teaching lab on wheels that will roll into Monroe High School this fall. 

The Makerspace  is a purpose-designed 32-foot trailer containing small-scale fabrication and design tools. It offers on-site, hands-on learning for youth. 

Makerspaces provide opportunities for students who may not thrive in traditional classroom environments to explore and develop, using their problem-solving skills to find solutions to questions they face.

Hey - back that trailer up. Where did this come from?

It all started in 2013, when United Way received a 15-year bequest from the Margaret E. Hull Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation to conduct United Way's mission work to benefit residents of rural Benton County. 

United Way conducted a Needs Assessment in the communities of Alpine, Bellfountain, Glenbrook, Ingram Island, Irish Bend, and Monroe. Not only did it build relationships but, importantly,  informed us about those communities' needs and assets. 

Two of the things that emerged were after-school and summer activities, and career and leadership development for youth.

United Way is good at asking, "What if?"

And we asked that question (and lots and lots of other questions) with our partners at the OSU College of Business  Austin Entrepreneur Program. 

The answer we got was the Makerspace.

College of Business 16X students, representing a variety of disciplines, are designing curriculum aimed to engage youth from elementary through high school in STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) and entrepreneurial fields. It will help them understand fundamental business skills, and inspire them to pursue higher education.

Its a win for the youth. It's a win for the 16X students. It's a win for the OSU College of Business. It's a win for United Way donors. And its a big win for the communities where the Makerspace will go to work.

It's much, much bigger than a trailer.
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