  This typewriter has been following our Livonia robotics team for the past three years. Been to a couple of competitions and toured the Dickinson Center workshop where the robots are built and where practice takes place.
Always bustling with activity I looked forward to the energy at Dickinson, home to the robotics teams. As I pulled into the parking lot and entered into another world. And as usual the energy level was contagious with students talking with mentors, mentors patiently answering questions.
Robots all over the place with students intently adjusting a part here and a part there. I couldn't which as my technical background is not good.
Simply put it always blows me away. The first computer I worked on was a binary board in the 7th grade in a computer club after school. I confirmed that 2 + 2 = 4. Nothing has proven that wrong to this day.
Clarenceville's Team 8380: The story of the FIRST in Michigan Macomb Community College District event 
This year, Team 8380 was founded as a rookie team with 12 students and a teacher mentor from Clarenceville High School.
The time commitment and strain of a FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, competition build season was a lot for the team though, so the team slowly dwindled down to 1 freshman student, Austin Lewandowski and his mom by week 4 of the competition season.
Austin was determined to compete this season, so he chased every avenue he could to try to build a robot this season, including going all the way to the President of FIRST in Michigan.
After clearing some logistical hurdles, Austin was paired on February 19th with the Livonia Warriors Robotics organization, at the Dickinson Center, approximately 10 minutes away, to help build his robot.
Team 8380's first scheduled event was a first week event, about 8 weeks into the season, scheduled to start on February 28th, so timing was very tight. The Livonia Warriors helped Austin build the kit chassis, then provided a prototype climber for the robot so that he could compete.
This included missing the setup day of the competition and staying till 3:30 am at the shop to finish attaching the climber.
The Warriors also provided a support crew of around 6 students and 3 mentors to get him through the competition. The competition started tough for Austin, with defensive penalties, learning the climber, and a battery disconnect.
Starting with their 5th qualification match, things turned around, and Austin shined with 7 matches of penalty free defense and 7 climbs. Team 8380 ended qualifying as the  highest rookie seed at the event.
Teams definitely noticed Austin's stellar defensive. We found another team's internal communication that said "Cheer for team 8380 in match 55. It's one guy named Austin who started the robot in Feb 19th. It's just him and a few kids+mentor on loan from Livonia".
Match 55 was especially important, as 8380 was partnered with teams 5436 (the Cyber Cats from Rochester) and 2834 (the Bionic Black Hawks from Bloomfield Hills, FIRST Hall of Fame member), and ended the match victorious with a triple robot climb with a balanced hanging bar.
Austin's story had gotten out, so before every match, the alliance's f
ans would all chant "Austin, Austin" before every playoff match.
Austin's superior defensive skills shined, as he held the quarterfinal alliance to 1 shot made in 2 matches. Superior defense from Austin, consistent scoring from teams 5436 and 1718, and triple climbs every match helped secure the victory at the FIM Macomb Community College District event. A first place.
At the end of the event, Austin's Team 8380 won the Rookie Inspiration Award, not for how the team inspired others, but for how one freshman named Austin inspired everybody at the event to continue spreading the FIRST message.
A celebration cake Monday night brought a lot of smiles for this young man. And a story described by Sherry Klisz on facebook as "an upbeat, inspiring story." The typewriter agrees.
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Another Livonia nonprofit continues to provide needed services beyond our borders as Sweet Dreamzzz, Inc., will provide its R.E.M. (Rest. Educate. Motivate.) Sleep Program to K-2 students at Gompers Elementary-Middle School in Detroit. 
raised by Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Livonia have made the day's programs possible. Students from Divine Child High School and Our Lady of Sorrows Middle School have made and donated knotted, fleece blankets that will be distributed to students. National Honor Society students from North Farmington High School will assemble the sleep kits that students receive. Two Men and a Truck of Farmington Hills will deliver all the materials to the school. And Divine Child students will volunteer on both set-up day and program day.
Peggy Gaskill Ph.D., President, Livonia Civic Chorus: We have received a grant from the Livonia Community Foundation for 9 years now...ever since we received our 501c(3) status in 2011 for a total of $27,335!! We started our "Musical Interlude for Seniors" program, funded by LCF, in 2014.
Looking for someone to cater your graduation party? Or perhaps that business meeting.
