Netherlands volunteer works to honor memory of fellow Mentor
Nine years ago, when Rita van der Lee was coaching FIRST LEGO League for the second time, she joined forces with Doede ten Cate, an enthusiastic and energetic team dad. "Together, we were a perfect coaching duo. Nothing was too crazy for us and Doede knew how to look forward and think outside of the box," said Rita. As Doede's sons grew older, he learned about other FIRST programs, and was especially interested in FTC. He poured a lot of effort, time and money into getting the first Netherlands teams established and starting a tournament in The Hague. Rita said his goal was to host a tournament with more than 40 teams and he visited schools and personally made sure they had the materials they needed to compete. Tragically, Doede was killed in an accident in 2011. Rita van der Lee After the passing of her friend, Rita was inspired to help make Doede's vision a reality. When FIRST Brabant , which is also the FLL partner in the Netherlands, became the FT...