OC STEAM FEST REINVENTED

May 24, 2021

For over seven years, Irvine Public Schools Foundation (IPSF) has brought the world of STEAM to thousands of families through the OC STEAM Fest. This annual outdoor event provided the incredible opportunity for children to experience STEAM education through industry professionals and educators with hundreds of hands-on activities to help them learn, explore, and discover.

When IPSF realized that we would not be able to bring the community together for the second year in a row due to the pandemic, we knew we needed to find a way to reinvent this experience for students. That’s when OC STEAM Fest… In a Box was sparked.

OC STEAM Fest…In a Box is the outcome of adaptive thinking and a shared passion to rally behind our students when they need it most. Combining the minds and energy of our team, STEAM educational specialists, and corporate partners, IPSF transformed what has previously been a large, in-person STEAM Festival into an at-home family experience. We took great care in maintaining our purpose and attention to quality in providing five STEAM activities to engage young minds with the magic of STEAM to create new opportunities for them to further explore.

We are so grateful to FUTEK, who joined us as Presenting Sponsor of OC STEAM Fest… In a Box. Our organizations both strive to continuously adapt and evolve, to remain at the leading-edge of our respective fields, while maximizing our benefit to the community. Thank you to Visionary Sponsor Fivepoint, Innovation Sponsor Cox/Cox Business, and to all of our generous supporters who helped make this project a reality!

Bringing this reimagined STEAM Fest to life was a true team effort and would not have been possible without the help of the incredible volunteers who helped organize and package the 1,000 STEAM Activity Boxes.

We are proud to share that the STEAM activity boxes sold out in two weeks and were distributed on May 22 through a contactless drive thru event. In addition, through generous donations made by supporters, we are able to donate over 100 boxes to students in need, so they can also have this enriching STEAM experience. All proceeds from this event  benefit the students of Irvine Unified School District.

While this past year may have presented us all with many challenges, our students, schools, and community remained resilient. We are so fortunate to be a part of such a vibrant community who supports STEAM education!