Each attendee will receive:
(1) T-shirt
(1) Mask
(1) Medal
(2) Pet Bandanas per participant

Register by March 15, 2021 to receive your giveaway materials by the event date. Registrations placed after March 15, 2021 may not receive event giveaways in time for the event.

AFFIRM Step Up For STEM 5K

AFFIRM Step Up for STEM 5K support scholarships and grants, which forge a path to government STEM careers.

Kick Up Your Heels and Walk!

The AFFIRM 5K initiative – Step Up For STEM: The Association is invested in joint government / industry partnerships fostering opportunity to the government within technology to improve service delivery.  STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) perfectly aligns with AFFIRM’s public sector career initiatives and Step for STEM will support and forge a path to our scholarships and grants.  While there are many ways AFFIRM raises both scholarship funds and awareness, this is an opportunity for you to bring your friends and family to support the cause. 

One step at a time.

There are several ways to contribute during the AFFIRM Step Up For STEM 5K, taking place on April 10th and April 11th, 2021.

Step by Step

During the weekend of the 5K, you will walk a total of 5,500 steps. The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day.  (Did you know the average city block has 110 steps?)

Post photos from your walk: the AFFIRM Step Up For STEM website will host photos posted by participants proudly wearing their AFFIRM Step Up For STEM t-shirts during their walk.

Doggy-Steps

With your dog as your partner, step lightly each day; steps add up quickly.

You’ll post pictures of your pooch wearing his AFFIRM Step Up For STEM bandana.

Bye-Step

Want to contribute without walking? Register to support the cause and bye-step the steps.

Your view will be of idle computers, languishing cats, and the vista from your window or lounge chair. 

Craving social interaction while you walk your 5K?

Start your walk on Saturday morning with a Zoom stretch with government leadership from AFFIRM’s board.  Get limbered up for the 5K while having fun online with leaders from DHS, GSA, DOD and more.

Expand your network stepwise using the AFFIRM Step Up For STEM website as a tool.  Also keep up the buzz with hashtag #STEPUPFORSTEM. 

Need diversion during your walk?

Post the audiobook you’re listening to as a recommendation to others – fiction only, remember we are stepping away from the office – that have a STEM flavor. 

Here’s a few starting points:

• Author Matthew Haig’s The Humans: A Novel

Extra-terrestrial visits earth. Comedic and features a dog for add-on fun for Doggy-Steps participants.

• Author Marc Cameron’s Tom Clancy Show of the Dragon

Long-time Clancy character Jack Ryan, President of the U.S. Unexplained noises emanate from under the Arctic Ice.  Perfect diversion in the coming of spring!

• Author Delia Owens #1 NY Times Where the Crawdads Sing

Magical moments with marsh animals. Lyrical language to pace your steps.

It’s Now Time to Kick Up Your Heels and Walk

During the last nine months of seclusion from colleagues and friends, the workforce has lost sight of work-life balance.  Days have become a blur of online meetings that begin too early and last too late. Pushing away from the computer has become harder every day.  Workers need to restore the invisible line between home and office, and AFFIRM’s 5K will set the tone.

Time to Support Governments Mission Critical Workforce

The Office of Personnel Management’s Top 6 Mission Critical Occupations in government are topped by #1 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and #2 Cybersecurity/IT. We need to encourage students to enter STEM fields to keep our country on the cutting edge.  Walkers are contributing to AFFIRM’s grants and scholarship program to support STEM careers.