August is upon us

We’ve been so busy at MakeICT, it looks like we missed last month’s update. Oops? Let’s bring you up to speed 🙂

Old stuff first:

• We sponsored a booth with activities at Riverfest in the Cox Kid’s Corner. Barb and James S. put in a lot of work organizing everything, so be sure to tell them “good work!” when you see them!
• We signed a 6-month lease for our current location, so we’ll be here through December. We were pretty bummed when Bluebird Arthouse closed, and it was a little stressful, but our current location is a good fit for the short term. The long term plan is in progress!
• We had our annual meeting, and it was a lot of fun. Good food, good people, good times! We even had an internet celebrity come and share what he makes! We also awarded Barb with our first “Contributor of the Year” award for all that she’s done. We love you, Barb!
  Here are the new directors after the annual meeting:
  • President: Dominic Canare
  • Vice President: John Harrison
  • Treasurer: Jens Torell
  • Secretary: Mike Doolittle
  • Director-at-large / Program coordinator: Tom McGuire
  • Director-at-large: Barbara Davis
• James L. did another 3D printing workshop for us, this time in the middle of the week. We weren’t sure how many people would turn out (we usually do our workshops on Saturdays), but it was one of our best-attended workshops yet!
• Barb did a basic sewing / e-textiles workshop. We made felt owls with light-up eyes. Neat!

Ok, now to newer stuff:

• We published our first press-release to announce two super-big-deals:
  • Our 501c3 status is now official! What does that mean for you? Well, any donations you provide are now tax-deductible? Hooray!
  • We also received our first grant through the Wichita Community Foundation! It’s going to keep us alive while we strategize and plan! Huge thanks to them for their support!
• MakeICT showed up at the Kansas City Maker Faire. This is going to sound like bragging (and maybe it is…):
  • We brought so many makers/projects, that we occupied an entire aisle at Union Station. I don’t think any other *spaces even came close!
  • Tom’s drumbot, Scott’s drawbot, and Dustin/Nick’s DLNA projects all won “Makers of Merit” awards. We’re so proud!
  • In our first PPPRS showing (Power Wheels racing), MakeICT’s Cow Car finished 4th (of 13) overall and took home two 1st place medals for moxie. Woohoo!
  • Check out our pictures from MakerFaire KC on our Facebook page
• Instructables/Dremel sent us over $1,100 in new equipment. With that, Tom did a great workshop with lots of philosophical and practical tips on “how to make”. Those tools and all their accessories are at the space and available for our members!
• Speaking of Instructables, our EL Sign project from a previous build night was actually featured on the Instructable’s front page! They even awarded us with a premium membership for free! Kudos to everyone who collaborated on this project and the Instructable!
• After missing our RiverFest deadline for the electric bus, the group took a short break. After regrouping, so much progress has been made! The bus had all sorts of low-voltage electrical issues, but they’ve all been sorted out now! Headlights, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, flashers, wipers, interior lights. By George, I think we’re ready for the inspection! If you want to help out or just check out the project, we meet on Thursday nights in Goddard (there’s usually a carpool from Wichita)!
• Last (but not least), our electronic door access project has picked up steam! We now have a couple of people working on the software and the hardware! A new striker has been installed on the door, and our first functional test of the web server + card reader interaction worked beautifully! If you want to help out or just check out the project, we meet on Wednesday nights at MakeICT!

And looking forward:

• We have a special meeting this Sunday (that’s tomorrow!) to introduce members to Startup Wichita and devICT, to explore the possibilities of joining forces!
• On August 23rd, we’ll be hosting a build-your-own Little Free Library workshop! We will also be building 2 LFL’s for TOP Early Learning Centers, which should be a great addition to their neighborhoods!
• On August 16th, we’ll be hosting another 3D printing workshop. This one will have a narrower-focus on just printing, instead of trying to cover the gamut (modeling, printing, the printer itself, etc)

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Whew! That was longer than I thought it would be. If you’re still reading this, put your device away and go enjoy some sun!