Our Future Is Today
- 15 August 2023
- K4SBE - Sierra
It takes a lot of energy and time to direct an active Amateur Radio Club, but once a club has active and participating members, the sky is the limit!
West Georgia Amateur Radio Society is fortunate enough to be one of those Clubs that is sailing towards endless limits. This Club is on the move! They launch Pico Balloons frequently, have regular Monday night Nets and a Carroll County ARES Net every Thursday evening; they have eating meeting at least six times a year, conduct monthly licensing exams for inspiring new Hams, participates in Toys for Tots and the Talladega National Forest Parks on the Air Weekend. Just recently, the Club held a very successful 24 hour Summer Field Day event at Little Tallapoosa Park, Carrollton, Georgia, and on July 22, 2023, the Club will have a “two part” Squirrel Hunt, which allows WGARS club members to work together – collaborate – to locate a transmitter using triangulation. These activities are just a slight mention of the many activities WGARS have. The Club’s leadership strives very hard to keep their club active and moving in a positive direction.
You may think this Club has its hands full. And, if you do, you would be wrong. WGARS’s goals for the Club expand much further. Right now, and I mean right now - they are in the process of purchasing a rv camper with the goal of converting it into a STEM* Lab Educational Mobile Unit. The mobile unit will be driven to various locations around the state, teaching youth about Amateur Radio, explaining its continued importance in a digital society, giving live demonstrations and showing youth how to get involve in Amateur Radio.
The STEM Lab Educational Mobile Unit will need a lot of pre-preparation prior to its use – stripping it out to install wiring, electrical outlets, insulation, ceiling panels, lighting, air conditioning and heating. WGARS members are not only pretty talented at handling a mic on 80, 40 and 2 meters, the Club has an assortment of very skilled electricians, carpenters and plumbers. The Club is anxious to get things rolling with their mobile unit, so they recently took advantage of the grant opportunity via ARRL - Grants to Amateur Radio Organizations.
The ARRL Foundation Grants Program** awards limited funding to organizations for eligible amateur radio related projects and initiatives, particularly those with a focus on educating, licensing, and supporting Amateur Radio activities. Awardees will be notified approximately one month after the closing of each cycle. This particular grant does not exceed $3,000.
The talent never ends in this Club. WGARS would like to give high praise and thanks to dedicated member Sandy Lail for stepping up to the plate and getting the ARRL Grant Proposal completed and submitted. The ARRL Foundation grants program accepts proposals on a cyclical model three times a year.
Grant proposals are accepted from:
• February 1 - February 28
• June 1 - June 30
• October 1 - October 31
None of these activities or goals would be needed or possible without WGARS having an active, interested and healthy membership and most of all, great dedicated leadership.
The Club realizes that most grant funding, no matter the source, is limited and grant sources receive many application requests for funding. Nothing beats a fail but a try! With that said, WGARS is doing what they know how to do, “keep it moving”. The Club has no doubts that they will accomplish their STEM Lab Educational Mobile Unit. WGARS takes one day at a time and each new day always brings new opportunities.
K4SBE
73
*STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Math ** ARRL can be reached at www.ARRL.org
