As reports of a Taliban takeover grew, Allyson Reneau had an overwhelming feeling the girls robotics team might be in danger. On Aug. 9, she decided to fly to Qatar herself.
"In 2019, at our annual Humans to Mars Conference, we chose to fly the Afghan Girls Robotic Team to the conference," Reneau told"TODAY" Digital."As a mother of nine daughters and two sons, I immediately connected with the girls.", she had an overwhelming feeling the team of girls might be in danger.
"I didn’t know where to start, but I couldn’t shake it," Reneau said."I said to myself 'What do I have in my hand? Where can I start?' I felt a little helpless.""I called Senator Jim Inhofe, because he is the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee," Reneau said, adding that the Senator put her in touch with the military liaison for the Senate."But he was quickly overwhelmed with the need to help our American citizens. So that lead went cold.
"It’s very narrow window of opportunity," she said of the effort."I knew that if I didn't run through that door now — it’s now or never. Sometimes you only get one chance.""We were able to get them on the U.S. military side , so they were protected over there waiting the next text I got was that they were airborne," Reneau said.Reneau said she was initially hesitant to celebrate, but when she knew part of the team was out, she became emotional.
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