Grant Award: CompTIA Member Communities ($5,833)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is pleased to report that CompTIA Member Communities have agreed to provide $5,833 in grant funding for the BDPA Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The funding comes from two sources within CompTIA - The Computing Technology Industry Association:

1. $2,500 - Mobility Community (chair, Dave Sobel) - It is great to know that our SITES program will be adding a 'mobile applications development' component in 2014!
2. $3,333 - Unified Communications (chair, Guy Yasika) - This is our second year in a row of getting funding from these wonderful folks!

Charles Eaton

“The CompTIA Member Communities are a terrific mechanism for making sure that charities around the country and even the world that align with our mission are properly identified and supported,” said Charles Eaton, CEO of Creating IT Futures. “The community members take this task very seriously and do a great job. Each year we see new charities enter the fold.”

We are very pleased in the growing strategic alliance between BDPA, CompTIA and the Creating IT Futures Foundation. All of us help populations that are under-represented in IT and individuals who are lacking in opportunity to prepare for, secure and be successful in IT careers. Funding over the past few years from Mr. Eaton and his cohorts has helped us provide funding for the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarships that have gone to some truly remarkable young people.

Grant Award: IBM ($3,000)

Paulette Johnson-Davis

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very grateful to IBM for its recent grant award of $3,000 that recognizes the volunteer work done by IBM retiree Paulette Johnson-Davis. Paulette is a long-time BDPA leader who currently serves as the vice president of business management for the BDPA Greater Columbia chapter. She submitted an IBM Community Grant request for funding in mid-July. We learned today that the request had been approved!

The grant approval letter read, in part:

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Dear Mr. Wayne Hicks,

On behalf of International Business Machines Corporation, I am pleased to tell you that a cash grant of $3,000.00 has been approved to support BDPA Education and Technology Foundation's IT Training Support program. This grant has been awarded in recognition of the volunteer service of Paulette Johnson-Davis. IBM's Community Service grants are based on requests from employees or retirees who have a record of active and ongoing involvement with not-for-profit organizations and schools.

We are pleased to support BDPA Education and Technology Foundation and extend our best wishes for continued success of your programs.

Sincerely,
Wanda Guy
CCCA Program Administrator
International Business Machines Corporation

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Paulette's volunteer efforts have been in support of the Student Information Technology Education & Technology (SITES) program implemented by BDPA Greater Columbia chapter. The funds from this volunteer grant will be restricted for the benefit of her chapter.

The process is a simple one ... our hope is that other BDPA chapters will work with BETF to increase the flow of grant income over the coming weeks and months.

Creating IT Futures Foundation Donates $10,000 to Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund

Creating IT Futures Foundation agreed to donate $10,000 to BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to support education for 20 high school students interested in pursuing STEM-related studies at the collegiate level. The funds will be placed in the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund and be awarded to 20 high-performing students in the National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship being held in Washington DC on August 14-17, 2013.

Creating IT Futures Foundation supported college scholarships for deserving BDPA student members in 2011 and 2012. The scholarships have been awarded to some truly remarkable young people who will help America 'win the future' in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

BETF Scholarship Winners

Creating IT Futures Foundation,established in 1998 as the philanthropic arm of CompTIA, the IT Industry Association, is aware that studies show that workplaces benefit from diversity. Due to a number of factors, the percentage of women and minorities in Information Technology (IT) has been lower than reflected in the population at large. That’s why Creating IT Futures Foundation specifically partners with programs that can identify and recruit women and minority candidates to the IT profession.

"BETF is grateful to Creating IT Futures Foundation executive director Charles Eaton and others who continue to fuel BDPA programs, scholarships and services. We hope that others will seek to do their part in support of the Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund by making secure online donation immediately!" said BETF executive director Wayne Hicks.

Grant Award: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America ($5,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that we received a $5,000 grant award from Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA). The funding will be used the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program operated by our BDPA Cincinnati chapter.

This is an especially rewarding grant award because BETF executive director Wayne Hicks, BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Clarence Larcarte and BDPA Cincinnati chapter corporate advisory council chair Patrick Nelson met jointly with representatives from the TEMA funding team as part of this process. The people we met with were Northern Kentucky university graduate students who were learning about philanthropy at the same time that they were helping TEMA evaluate a number of grant proposals. That face-to-face meeting is a great equalizer for nonprofits that aren't as well-known as some others ... and we are very grateful to TEMA for giving us that opportunity.

The notification for the award came by e-mail and stated in part:

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Dear Wayne,

Your grant application to Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA) for support of BDPA Education and Technology Foundation's SITES Program was reviewed at TEMA's November Contributions Committee meeting. The committee has approved your grant request in the amount of $5,000. Before we will be able to process your request for payment, we will need a completed, signed W9.

The Northern Kentucky University Mayerson Project graduate students did a good job of presenting your grant application to our Contributions Committee. Dollar amounts awarded are strictly at the discretion of the Committee and are based on other requests received and the amount of funding dollars available. Because you were so kind to participate with the Mayerson Project students, they would like to invite your organization to attend the Mayerson Awards Ceremony on Thursday, November 29th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at NKU's Student Union.

Thank you for the important work you do in the community and for your support of Toyota.

Sincerely,
Nila Wells
TEMA Contributions Program
25 Atlantic Avenue
Erlanger, KY 41018

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BDPA Cincinnati chapter plans to use the funding in support of its upcoming 2013 Computer Camp. That program is now 'co-sponsored by TEMA' for the next calendar year!

We still need support to provide college scholarships to the seniors on next year's High School Computer Competition team in Cincinnati. Won't you consider joining TEMA as a supporter? You can 'make it so' by visiting our Brandon Berry Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Grant Award: CompTIA ($5,000)

CompTIA's Unified Communications Community voted a $5,000 grant to the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF), one of more than 30 tech-related charities that received a combined $100,000 from the Creating IT Futures Foundation in 2012. The Unified Communications Community focuses on best practices, business fundamental education and resources for companies engaged in the creation and delivery of rapidly-developing technology. The group is in the development stage, designed to provide networking opportunities among thought leaders from this segment of the industry. The Unified Communications Community focuses its efforts on building business specific education programs and creating member-driven initiatives to reach their overall objectives.

BETF plans to use the CompTIA grant award in support of our Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund. We are building that scholarship fund to reward up to 25 high-performing students in the National BDPA High School Computer Competition championship being held next year in Washington DC.

BETF will continue to try to raise enough money so that we can truly reward these remarkable young 'uns. CompTIA has done its part. Perhaps you are willing to support us with a secure online donation of your own. What say u?

Grant Award: Cigna Foundation ($10,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked with BDPA New York chapter grant coordinator Shawn Reid to submit a $15,000 grant proposal to the Cigna Foundation earlier this summer. We just learned that Cigna Foundation approved partial grant funding in the amount of $10,000!

The grant notification message read as follows:

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We are pleased to inform you that application 806623, submitted by BDPA Education and Technology Foundation and requesting Cigna Foundation support for Student Information Technology Education & Scholarships (SITES) program, has been approved in the amount of $10,000.00. We anticipate that this award will be disbursed within four weeks of the transmission date of this e-mail.

This Grant will be sent via U.S. mail to:

Wayne Hicks, Executive Director
BDPA Education and Technology Foundation
4423 Lehigh Road, #277
College Park, MD 20740

If you have any questions about the timing or processing of this disbursement, please contact Cigna Giving at 1-866-865-5277.

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This is great news for 2-time defending 'Chapter of the Year' BDPA New York. They have wonderful programs for young people and for IT professionals. It is nice to see Cigna Foundation recognized the successful implementation of those programs under the leadership of BDPA New York chapter president Renetta English.

Share some love with BDPA New York chapter if you have time or inclination!

Volunteer Grant Award: McKesson Foundation ($500)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to inform you that the McKesson Foundation awarded us a $500 volunteer grant on behalf of one of its employees. The check came with a letter that read as follows:

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Dear Mr. Hicks,

We are pleased to offer the attached donation to BDPA Education and Technology Foundation in the amount of $500.00, which was made possible by McKesson employee Christopher Parker's involvement with your organization. Part of the McKesson Foundation mission is to support our employees' community involvement efforts, and we are proud to be among your current supporters.

This offer will remain open for 180 days. To accept this offer, please cash the attached check within 180 days. Any donation not accepted by cashing the check will be revoked and the McKesson Foundation will send those funds to the American Cancer Society.

Sincerely,
The McKesson Foundation

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Suffice it to say that the check is being cashed right now! Christopher is the president of our BDPA Richmond chapter. He let his company know about his volunteer efforts as a member of the chapter's board of directors ... and the company cut this check in support of BDPA programs, scholarships and services.

Have you checked to see if your employer as a volunteer grant program yet? If not, please do so right away!