Manufacturing leaders took a break from meetings and laced up their athletic shoes for the Miles for Manufacturing 5K Run/Walk fundraiser at The MFG Meeting 2023 in April to raise money for the advancement of manufacturing education at schools and STEM programs throughout the country.
The MFG Meeting, produced by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, in collaboration with The National Tooling & Machining Association, featured three days of presentations and events that delivered actionable information on the current economic, political, demographic, social, educational, and technological climate.
On Friday, April 28, 67 registered runners and some virtual runners participated, raising $17,570 ($15,500 in sponsorships, $2,190 in runner registration fees, and fees from four cyclists in the Miles for Manufacturing mountain bike adventure). Winner Brooke Willis finished the 5K in 25:12, with her husband Ty Willis from Mitsubishi HC Capital America crossing in third place at 26:12. AMT’s customer engagement manager Jordan Marks finished second at 25:22.
Since the Miles for Manufacturing event started at IMTS 2014, the event has raised $194,206.91 for STEM schools, FIRST Robotics and VEX Robotics teams, and community-based organizations that support under-served, under-represented students.
“AMT is committed to supporting the manufacturing technology classroom of the future, and thanks to additional support from IMTS, 100% of the funds raised through Miles for Manufacturing help us support young people gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to become the next generation of manufacturing leaders,” says Greg Jones, vice president, Smartforce Development, AMT.
This year, the Miles for Manufacturing donations went to help FIRST Robotics teams and one Vex Robotics team fund their programs for competition:
Team 135 Black Knights, (Penn High School, Mishawaka, Indiana)
Team 4418 Impulse, (STEM School and Academy, Highlands Ranch, Colorado)
Team 112 WildStangs, (Cook County, Illinois)
Team 12682 The Golden Ratio, (Cary, Illinois)
Team 698 The M1CROBOTS, (Hamilton High School, Chandler, Arizona)
Team 4292 The PorterBots (Lockport Township High School, Lockport, Illinois)
AMT thanks the sponsors of the Miles for Manufacturing fundraising event: ACME Mfg., BIG Daishowa, Carbinite Metal Coatings, Festo-Didactic, Heidenhain, Jorgensen Conveyors and Filtration Systems, Kennametal, ManufacturingUSA, Mazak, Okuma, Productivity, Inc., Reata Engineering & Machine Works, Royal Products, ToolingU/SME, and United Grinding.
