Brooks Boys & Girls Club Now Has 3D Printer, Gift From High-Speed Internet Provider Kinetic Donation Follows Kinetic, Colquitt EMC Installation of Fiber Broadband at Club

QUITMAN, Ga. (April 25, 2022) — Kids and teens at the Brooks County Boys & Girls Club will soon do hands-on 3D printing now that high-speed internet provider Kinetic gave a 3D printer to the club.

The donation follows Kinetic’s installation of fiber broadband at the club through a collaboration with nonprofit electric membership cooperative Colquitt Electric Membership Corp.

“We’re blown away by this unexpected donation,” said Boys & Girls Club of Valdosta marketing and development Vice President Kristin Wooley Hanna. The Boys & Girls Club of Valdosta runs the Brooks County Boys & Girls Club.

“Kinetic’s initial support of the club let us provide ultrafast fiber-optic broadband here in an area of rural Georgia where it just wasn’t possible before, and frankly seemed out of reach,” she said. “And now Kinetic has gone above and beyond to make learning fun and hands-on with the donation of a new 3D printer! We can’t wait to see what our young people build.”

With 3D printing, kids and teens at the club will be able to create toys, games and other objects. They’ll develop valuable skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity. And they’ll learn about technology, design and engineering, which can be useful for future careers.

“It’s fun and educational,” Hanna said. “It helps kids and teens learn how things are made. And it lets them bring their ideas and creations to life in a tangible way, which can be very rewarding.”

With 3D printing, a person makes something from the ground up, one layer at a time. Computer-guided laser beams melt powders of metal, plastic or a composite material to create the layers until the final object is completed.

Industries now uses 3D printing to make fuel nozzles for jet engines, spinal and dental implants, and running shoe soles, among other products. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 3D printers made emergency supplies of face shields and ventilator parts.

Kinetic’s gift to the Boys & Girls Club is a Prusa Mini+ printer, made by Prusa Research. It is rated “the best 3D printer” by the Wirecutter product testing and recommendation service because it’s “the most reliable printer we’ve tested” and is easy to use.