About Us

Let me start by saying I am not a coder, I am learning right along with the kids, what I am is a mom. I am a proud mom of a child that loves computers.    As a mom I discovered that so much of our real estate and time is dedicated to sports, but so little is given to technology!  There are so many kids, like my son, who loves tech, games, 3D printing and robotics.  These kids tended to work at home with headphones on, away from their friends.  I wanted to create a physical space for those kids - the ones who love coding and technology and wanted to be around other kids like themselves and feel at home.  A place for them to feel connected and excel at what comes naturally to them.

We are a student driven program and provide a lot of curriculum like Scratch, HTML, Javascript, Arduino, Java and Unity 3D.  We also have a makerspace, robots, drones, 3D printers, VR, a virtual STEM wonderland.  Kids move at their own pace, and our goal is to help students create their own projects and feel successful in what they love.

Code with friends (and make new ones!)

I believe coding is social, and you can learn better with friends.  They can collaborate and share together.  We encourage friends to come together, and we group students by peer group, rather than by experience level.  We can do this because we individually track each student, and so we are able to allow students to work on projects next to their friends, even if they are working on completely different subjects or concepts.   We are so excited to be part of the tech-education movement in Bellingham!  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

  • Robin Smiley, Co- Founder

Robin Smiley BCRC.jpg

About Steve

Steve Reed is a mechanical and biomedical engineer who moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2019 to pursue life, including backcountry skiing, fishing, and biking.  He worked in the automotive industry for over 18 years as a Chief Engineer, part of which was ex-patriot assignments in Germany and Brazil.  Steve, most recently, was President and CEO of a local nonprofit organization helping people with disabilities.

The Bellingham Coding and Robotics Club brings together his expertise in team development and training, his experience working with people with various barriers to life and work, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Steve met Robin in April (yes, Robin texted Steve first).  A few months into the pandemic, as families were looking for opportunities for extracurricular activities for their children during remote learning, they decided to launch BCRC.