Help us raise $7,000 for a Glowforge 3D Laser Printer

Thank you to everyone who donated this year as part of Giving Tuesday. You helped us raise a good portion of our goal of $7,000 for a Glowforge (a 3D laser printer). We are continuing to ask for support to reach our full goal and obtain this wonderful tool for our ministry. Glowforge’s powerful desktop laser cuts, engraves, and scores hundreds of materials. Its interface is well designed, allowing intuitive use and a quicker learning experience. It is also well supported with many online resources, lesson plans, technical support, and training videos.

This tool will serve our ministry in the following ways:

• expand our educational curriculum
• enrich our staff experience personally and professionally
• equip our marketing team to produce personalized gifts for donors and friends
• encourage parents with the truths of Scripture engraved on items around their home

Victory Academy For Boys is adding a digital fabrication lab component to our robust educational experience. Starting with a computer and digital design software we will be teaching the elements of engineering and design along with digital output with our new Glowforge (laser engraver/cutter). It opens the door to future additions of 3D printing and CNC routing, if the program develops far enough to warrant the expansion of the “fab lab.”

Our work integrated learning program (WORCS) is designed to expose our students to some agricultural fields of study, basic automotive and property maintenance, basic carpentry skills, and now digital design and fabrication. We desire to give our students transferable skills that will aid them in their future careers.

Mark Hawkins (Einstein Project and Hands On Deck) and Nathan Schubring (Retired Engineer) are regular volunteers that have backgrounds in digital design and fabrication that would assist Ben Barrick and Staff with installation, education, and production.

As with all tools, it is best for them to be used and used well. Once properly trained, our staff will be able to use the Glowforge themselves or submit files to the fabrication team to create projects that will be beneficial to their own areas of ministry or personal life.

It has been increasingly hard to acquire personalized merchandise to give to our donors and to hand out at conferences that have our logo engraved on them. The cost is always a deterrent and we are limited to what we can engrave and in what ways. Having our own laser engraver will give us much more freedom in selecting and engraving the right merchandise in small or large quantities. We have many ideas on how we can use this Glowforge in ways to thank and encourage our donor base.

Our ultimate goal of ministry is to strengthen families in crisis. Our greatest tool in the mission is the Word of God. We are excited about purposely choosing items that could be displayed around the home and engraving powerful truths from the Scriptures on them. These personalized items will serve the family in offering a continual reminder of God’s hope.