Destination Imagination teams need community support for global finals

(CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Destination Imagination (DI) teams across Madison are working furiously to raise enough money to attend DI Global Finals at the University of Tennessee.

Six teams from Madison are raising funds to compete in Knoxville on May 22-26 with more than 10,000 students from across the United States and more than 20 other countries.

“We need approximately $22,000 and have raised about $5,000,” Robin Dauma said. Dauma coaches DI teams at Bob Jones High and Discovery middle schools. Kazemia Reed coaches Madison Elementary School teams. Leslie Hughes is DI coach at Liberty Middle school.

Their “Electronics Recycling” fundraiser allows residents to donate old cell phones, used ink cartridges, laptop computers and DVDs in original cases. Collection boxes are available in front lobbies at Bob Jones, Discovery and Madison Public Library.

May 17 is the cutoff date for Electronic Recycling donations. DI cannot accept printers, monitors or CPUs (central processing units).

“The Electronics Recycling fundraiser is ‘good for the Earth’ because it keeps cell phones and other recyclable electronic items out of landfills and sends them to a company that recycles them, or parts of them,” Dauma said. In turn, this company reimburses the non-profit organization.

In addition, the recycling correlates to DI competition challenges, which encourage and almost mandate recycling of items in the teams’ solutions. “Cardboard to vacuum cleaner casters to thrift-store clothing, trash and ‘up-cycled’ items are featured in almost every DI tournament with amazing results,” Dauma said.

Using a budget of about $150, DI teams create solutions and depend on recycled items. “Many times, teams pride themselves on how well they (can) reuse items,” Dauma said. A Bob Jones team used one plywood, backdrop panel for five consecutive years and just updated it with fresh paint.

“Old toys, two-liter bottles, swimming ‘noodles’ — the choices are endless for DI teams as they come up with ideas for props, costumes, scenery and machines,” Dauma said.

For information about donations to DI, email to rdauma@madisoncity.k12.al.us, knreed@madisoncity.k12.al.us or lhughes@madisoncity.k12.al.us.