Friday, February 23, 2018

TATTS is a 501(c)(3)

We are excited to announce that we received approval from the US Government to be a 501(c)(3).  This designation expands our ability to fund-raise as all donations made to TATTS (for US citizens) can be written off on taxes.  Please consider donating!

TATTS has historically offered its programming free of charge to participants and hopes to continue to do the same.  Funds raised through our 2018 campaign will be used in 3 main areas; 1) hardware replacement, development of TATTS In-A-Box (TATTS IAB), and procurement of supplies for outings.  Each of those needs is described in a bit more detail below.

I. Replacement of critical hardware.

  1. Laptop. We need a laptop to run the flight simulation software during our outings, collect manage and edit the footage collected by TATTS team members during our outings and to revise curriculum, communicate with members and update this blog.
  2. Drones.  Our drones are worn out.  Most have been decommissioned and with the improvements in technology there are units out there that are easier to fly, have built in cameras and will better support our member's needs and the organization's mission. 
  3. TV.  We need a large monitor/TV during our outings to host the flight simulation training station and to display footage captured that day.  We view footage together and pause it to pose questions such as "what do you think he is currently thinking as the drone looks down upon them?" 

II. Supplies to support outings.

  1. T-shirts for participants
  2. Snacks during outings

III. TATTS In-A-Box (TATTS IAB).  TATTS IAB is our solution to expand the TATTS program to other locations throughout the US and the world.  Over the years we've received numerous inquiries from people wanting to do something like this in their hometown. TATTS IAB will include instructions, tools, checklists, parent surveys, and the curriculum to allow others to implement TATTS.

We are currently implementing ways to support donations through this blog and our FaceBook page.  Should you want to donate in the interim, please consider writing a check to TATTS, Inc.