Author: Nate Laverdure

Administrative

In-kind donation most wanted list

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Triple Helix and our operating nonprofit sponsor Intentional Innovation Foundation seek the donation of the following products and services to support our award-winning youth STEM programs. (Last updated 11 February 2020)

Services

  • Catering
  • Screenprinting, embroidery, sewing
  • Vinyl graphics, heat pressing
  • Audiovisual, DJ
  • Woodworking
  • Waterjet cutting, laser cutting
  • CNC machining and engraving
  • Web development, web hosting
  • Reselling surplus equipment
  • Accounting, tax preparation, legal & insurance advice
  • Grantwriting

Workshop equipment

  • 8-10 foot stepladder
  • CNC engraver/router
  • Precision machine tools
  • Power tools
  • Hand tools
  • 6061 aluminum and certain other metals
  • Polycarbonate, acetal copolymer, and certain other plastics
  • Laser cutter ventilation & filter system

Peninsula STEM Gym equiment

  • Radiant tube heating system
  • One or more large industrial ceiling fans
  • Whiteboards (QTY 3 size 4′ x 3′ ft, QTY 1 size 6′ x 3′)
  • Lumber (3/4″ and 1/2″ plywood sheets, 2x4s)
  • Polyurethane to finish tabletops
  • Industrial scale (500 lb capacity, 30″ or 36″ square platform) similar to Arlyn 320D-36
  • Safety glasses rack/cubbies
  • Commercial vacuum
  • Dustpan & brush
  • Gaffer tape

Large-scale storage solutions

An immediate goal for Triple Helix is take over a small closet which adjoins our workshop. The closet currently stores JROTC uniforms and other supplies, so to acquire the closet we’d need to come up with another location to store these items. One possibility is an in-kind donation of metal wardrobe storage cabinets or lockers.

Menchville High School currently stores equipment in 7 sheds and shipping containers located around the campus and in various states of repair. Summed together these storage spaces provide about 2000 sq ft of storage for school groups including band, drama, and athletics. Triple Helix seeks to consolidate this storage into a large engineered steel storage building, which would provide enough clean dry storage for all school activities.

Miscellaneous

  • Prepaid fuel cards
  • Gift cards to our common vendors (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Amazon, etc.)
CAD

Accessible controls for ride-on toy car

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This spring, Triple Helix partnered with an occupational therapy doctoral student from Virginia Commonwealth University to develop assistive devices for people in the Hampton Roads region. Through communication with the Children’s Assistive Technology Service (CATS) a need was identified for a modified ride-on toy car, based on the University of Delaware’s GoBabyGo project. This project aims to provide access to low-cost mobility devices for young children without other means of exploring their environment. In this case, the recipient was a young girl who does not have the ability to move her lower extremities as a result of a birth defect.

To provide access to the car’s controls, a 5-inch switch was mounted on the steering column and wired via a relay switch to the car’s motor to replace the foot pedal function. Additionally, PVC handles were added on each side of the center switch for more ergonomic steering control. To also allow for simultaneous propulsion and steering, the handles fit over a laser-cut Lexan frame which, when flexed, activate an additional limit switch on each side of the steering column. This design concept can be applied to other ride-on cars, depending on a particular child’s needs and functional abilities.

STEP file