Where's the Time?

T-minus 36 days before our InvenTeam leaves for Eureka Fest and there is still much to get done. Our invention has gone through multiple tests and tweaks, yet I feel that each day the finish line moves farther from us. We have been severely behind in fundraising since January and my hopes that May would bring better fortune is sadly fading away. And now that finals season at school is finally here, there seems to be significantly less time to spend on our project than before. However, our team has not given up.  I mean, after all, if there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Our InvenTeam has been working around the clock to make the most of the last few weeks that we have left. The mechanics for our Fire Defense Initiative are nearly complete and ready to be tested. The promotional material for Eureka Fest such as business cards, magazines, and brochures are being completed as I speak.  As Communications Lead, I have continued to contact and reach out to businesses and individuals about our financial scarcity, and I’m proud to say many have called back! With a streak of direct voicemails and “no new messages”, I am overwhelmed by the response I have been getting from the community. Many are eager to learn more about our invention and help financially anyway they can. Even though we are not quite done with our tasks, we can now see the finish line.
As May is approaching to a close, our team felt that it was important to go back to where it all started; the fire station. In late September, when our team was composing our proposal, we had a meeting with our local firefighters at fire station 504. There, they gave us valuable information on the process of triaging homes and the type of tools they use to combat wildfires. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them. This Friday (5/17) afterschool, our team has a meeting with Fire station 504 to present the latest stage of our invention. We not only want to show them the progress we made since the last time we were in touch, but we hope to get advice from these professionals, and our potential consumers, of ways our device could be improved. This is sure to be a reminder of how far we’ve come, and how far we have left to go.