Key Facts on Community Foundations (April 2011)

Although 2010 marked the first consecutive-year decline in community foundation giving since 1981, a majority of community foundations say their giving will increase or hold steady in 2011.

According to Key Facts on Community Foundations (6 pages, PDF), giving by community foundations declined an estimated 2.1 percent in 2010, following a 7.1 percent decline in 2009. The outlook is improving, however, with half the respondents (50 percent) saying they anticipate that their giving will increase in 2011, while 16 percent expect it to remain flat.

Some other key facts from the survey:

• $4 billion -- Estimated giving by community foundations in 2010
• 737 -- Number of grantmaking community foundations in 2009
• 44.6 percent –- Share of community foundations reporting more than $1 million in giving in 2009
• 9.1 percent -– Community foundation giving as a share of all foundation giving in 2009

Read the rest of the Philanthropic story (along with charts & graphs) here.

National Cristina Foundation

The National Cristina Foundation provides computer technology and solutions to give people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged persons the opportunity, through training, to lead more independent and productive lives.

Every day, across America and around the world, National Cristina Foundation is working to ensure that used computer technology resources that no longer meet an enterprise's or an individual's needs are given a second productive life as a tool for developing human potential.

The Foundation encourages corporations and individuals to donate their surplus and used computers, software, peripherals and related business technology wherever this equipment is located. With the help of their online donation process, they can help a pre-screened partner network of charities, schools and public agencies get these important tools to support activities in thousands of training or educational settings.

Since the early 1980s, without charging a fee for its work or technology, the National Cristina Foundation has been a conduit of hope. With the help of corporations, individual donors, volunteers, and practitioners, we are participating in building, in coordination with their partners, community based solutions to make a significant difference for millions of people in need. The Cristina Global Partner Network is dedicated to this joint effort and to the strong conviction that human capital and technology resources are too valuable to waste.

The National Cristina Foundation and their grassroots partners are bound by the collective belief that technology reuse helps Link Life to its Promise. This is a remarkable opportunity for in-kind hardware donations in support of BDPA chapters around the nation.

Member on the Move: Prince Ellis (BDPA Cincinnati)

Prince Ellis

BDPA is all about the advancement in careers made by people of African descent in the Information Technology (IT) industry from the 'classroom to the boardroom'. As such, we are proud to share some news about the upward mobility of BDPA Cincinnati VP-Finance Prince Ellis.

Prince recently accepted a promotion to Department Chair of Information Technology at Brown Mackie College (BMC). Prince joined BMC in 2007 as an IT adjunct instructor and was later promoted to full-time instructor. He holds a B.S in Finance and a Master of Science in Information Systems from Northern Kentucky University. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctoral Degree from Argosy University in Business Technology. He serves on various committees at BMC including the Faculty Development Leadership Team, Professional Learning Committee, Blended Task Force Committee, and Library Advisory Committee for IT / Computer Networking.

Some of his recognitions at BMC include May 2010 Faculty of the Month and August 2010 recipient of the Valerie C. Miles "Spirit of Student Support" Award.

In addition to serving on the BDPA Cincinnati Board of Directors as its VP-Finance, Prince also volunteers time on Saturdays to teach basic computer skills to high school students. Prince was instrumental in providing two computer labs for the TECHie Camp project to take place in Cincinnati later this summer.

Please join us in congratulating Prince on his promotion!

Grant Award: Ameren ($500)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is happy to report that our letter of inquiry to Ameren resulted in approval of a $500 grant in support of the annual banquet hosted by BDPA St. Louis chapter. The company agreed to provide their facility for the banquet in addition to its $500 grant award.

The letter of inquiry was initiated by BDPA St. Louis chapter president Toni Love.

We are appreciative to Ameren for their support ... and we look forward to seeing photos from the event!

Take Five: Kevin Robinson (Charlotte)

Kevin Robinson has been an inspiration to me over the past few months. He was instrumental in having the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) honored by the Blacks @ Microsoft organization in North Carolina. He also challenged my ideas on what 'boardroom to classroom' means to BDPA.

I asked Kevin to participate in our 'Take Five' interview series. Kevin took the request seriously and prepared a video with his responses to our five questions.





What did you think of Kevin's comments and insights?

BDPA Los Angeles Member Reviews Online Tutorial for BDPA Students

Temitope Sonuyi is a member of our BDPA Los Angeles chapter. He joined BDPA because he saw it as an organization devoted to the service of educating young people. This fit with his personal desire to assist in the spread of knowledge to those who don't have the resources and opportunities and those that WANT to learn.

LA Chapter Computer Camp

Therefore, it is not a surprise that Temitope was interested in bringing 'best practices' from other BDPA chapters to support the efforts of training young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives within BDPA Los Angeles chapter.

One of those 'best practices' is the online tutorials available through an application known as "BDPAStudents.com". This online application is available to any BDPA chapter engaged in the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

We asked Temitope to share his review of BDPAStudents.com for our blog. Here is what he had to say:

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It's hard to figure out exactly where to begin in reviewing the BDPAStudents.com application. To begin it was created by Zachary Garbow, an instructor for the award winning Southern Minnesota team, and he released it to other chapters who were looking to find better ways to instruct their students.

BDPA So. Minnesota - 2010 Nat'l HSCC Champions

The application is great because it is a sort of self-contained site where students can do all the work and research that an instructor makes for them, without having to install software or keep files on their own. This makes it easier for students to get up and running on assignments. They simply login, read the instructors lesson plan and begin writing code in files that can be stored on a server. This allows students to continue work on assignments from anywhere as well. Furthermore it has a built in grading system that automatically ranks students and tracks scores for each assignment an instructor assigns.

Going from not using BDPAStudents.com last year, to using it as the main center for instruction has made a night and day difference in the ability for me to instruct and for students to learn.

There are future plans to further develop the application into a resource hub for all chapters. This application can potentially be a huge catalyst to deliver more instruction to more students since assignments can largely be self-contained and rely less on an instructor being present. If it becomes a resource hub it will greatly help out instructors as they will have a baseline of material to teach kids from, and can also contribute their changes or new assignments as well. You have to use it to believe it to truly grasp the power of it. Don't sleep on this one folks!

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BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very appreciative of Temitope for taking time to share his review of this collaborative software tool.   We hope that more chapters will take advantage of this opportunity to support the training of their students in the future.

The BDPA Insider - April 24, 2011

The BDPA Insider - April 24, 2011

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:

Wanda Gray (Cincinnati)

1. 2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open
2. First Annual BDPA IT-oLogy Scholarship Awarded to Charlotte High School Student
3. How Compuware Helps BDPA Detroit Help Young Programmers
4. Message from BDPA Los Angeles Chapter President
5. Nominations Open for 2011 Black Weblog Awards (Apr 18 - May 7)
6. Take Five: Wanda Gray (BDPA Cincinnati)
7. Tech jobs boom like it's 1999

Click here for "The BDPA Insider" Archives:

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Take Five: Wanda Gray (Cincinnati)

I've known BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Wanda Gray for a number of years. She was gracious enough to serve as the chapter's VP-Membership Management back when I was its chapter president. Our chapter had the 2nd-largest number of members in the nation during her tenure. Later I worked with Wanda when she was opening up a soul food restaurant and a IT consultancy.

I anticipate great things happening under her leadership as BDPA Cincinnati chapter president. I'm grateful that she agreed to participate in our ongoing Take Five interview series.

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Wanda Gray

1. How did you get involved with BDPA? - I initially received an invitation to attend a program meeting from a co-worker. I attended the program meeting and was impressed by the topic and the BDPA organization. Prior to attending the meeting, I did not know there was an organization in Cincinnati that supported African Americans in Information Technology. When I attended the next meeting, I received information about a position that was available at the company of the speaker (Cecil Jones). I networked with the speaker afterwards. Turns out he was the hiring manager. I was able to get a job interview and subsequently got the job!! From that point on, I was determined to support the BDPA and help support the organization any way I could. I spoke with the BDPA president at the time (Wayne Hicks) about the BDPA and the work they were doing. After some time, I volunteered to be the VP of Membership Management. From that point forward, I volunteered to help the BDPA Cincinnati chapter in any way I could.
2. What is your favorite part of working with BDPA? - Working with people who genuinely want to help support minorities that work in Information Technology in the Cincinnati community. There are good people in our community who reach out to us to provide their support. Being able to provide services to our members and our Corporate Advisory Council is very satisfying.
3. What future evolution or change would you like to see in BDPA? - I would like to see the BDPA Cincinnati become the first organization people in Cincinnati think of when it comes to advancing the careers of students and adults in the field of Information Technology.
4. Why should someone pay $100 membership dues to join BDPA? - Although the BDPA Cincinnati offers such things as the free monthly program meeting, there are also member only events and workshops that are available.
5. Any advice for people considering a donation to BETF? - Don't hesitate! BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) reaches out to ALL BDPA organizations across the US. They are critical to the support of the BDPA education programs.
   

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Our hope is that these Take Five interviews will generate some dialogue with our blog readers. Share your personal reflections on Wanda's comments with us if you have time or inclination. Also, please consider making a donation in support of efforts to give out scholarships for BDPA Cincinnati student members in memory of the late Brandon Berry.

Letter of Inquiry: Wal-Mart Stores (BDPA Chicago)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Chicago chapter submitted a letter of inquiry to Wal-Mart Store #5485 in Evergreen, Illinois. We are hoping to receive funding or in-kind donation of books, flash drives and supplies.

Click here if you want to help BDPA Chicago chapter while we wait for an answer from Wal-Mart Store #5485.

New York Community Trust

Founded in 1924 by a group of New York bankers, The New York Community Trust is one of the country's oldest and largest community foundations.

Their goal is to put charitable money to work, making grants to the City's nonprofit community and building an endowment to tackle future problems.

Grant Proposal: AirTran Airways (BDPA Philadelphia)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Philadelphia submitted an online grant proposal to AirTran Airways in an effort to receive two round-trip coach tickets. The tickets would be used to help get the BDPA Philadelphia students to the 2011 national High School Computer Competition taking place later this year in Chicago.

Wish us luck ... or you can make a more tangible indication of your support with an online donation to the BDPA Philadelphia HSCC Scholarship Fund.

Entertainment Software Association Foundation

The purpose of the Entertainment Software Association Foundation is to promote positive programs and
opportunities that make a difference in the quality of life, health and welfare of America's youth. The Foundation is committed to using the power of the interactive entertainment industry to create a positive social impact across the country.

Youth programs must be focused in one of the following areas: skills and personal development; general health and welfare; risk behavior prevention; education and multimedia arts/technology.

To make a grant request, organizations must have 501(c)(3) status, seek funding for a specific project or program that is or will be in two or more states in the United States, and serve youth ages 7-18. This appears to be a funding source uniquely suited to one of our national BDPA business areas because of this 2+ state requirement.

Let us know if your chapter or business area want to explore funding with the ESA Foundation.

Message from Los Angeles Chapter President

John Malonson

Dear Members,

Tired of wondering which platform is the BEST? We finally settle the argument! Whether you have a smart phone, tablet, or are in the market for one; we invite you to join us for this month's program meeting, 'Apple iOS vs. Google Android: Mobility Smackdown' taking place on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

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Each month we celebrate the talents and services of our most exceptional members. This month, we recognize Temitope Sonuyi, our High School Computer Competition Lead Instructor.

Temitope has always been interested in creating things in general. Various influences lead him to MIT where he graduated with a masters and bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. During that time he interned at Microsoft, Qualcomm and the MIT MediaLab. After graduating Temitope worked as a developer for a startup where he developed a lot of his web development skills. He has since started a personal software consulting and development company, which is what he continues to do to this day. Temitope focuses on consulting with the creation and implementation of ideas for software applications.

Temitope, for all of your hard work and commitment to student excellence, BDPA Los Angeles chapter THANKS YOU!

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We need your help!  We are in need of High School Computer Competition technical and administrative volunteers. If you or someone you know possesses skill and talent in any of the following key areas, please contact info@bdpala.org

• PHP
• MySQL
• General classroom coordination and administration

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Be sure to check us out everywhere on the web:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Website

Sincerely,
John C. Malonson III, President
BDPA Los Angeles
(562) 726-2677

Nominations Open for 2011 Black Weblog Awards (Apr 18 - May 7)

We want to encourage all of our blog readers to take a moment to support the 2011 Black Weblog Awards.  You have the ability to nominate your favorite blogs about any and every topic.  The nomination service is open through May 7th.  Not only do we want you to make nominations ... but, we hope that you will spread the word about this online award program to others in your sphere of influence.

Nominations:

• Nominations are open from April 18 - May 7
• The official Nomination site is here.
• You provide the web address (URL) for your favorite blog in each category as well as your name and email address on the nomination form and that's it.
• There are 37 categories.

Voting:

• Finalists will be announced the week of May 15
• Online voting commences May 16 – June 17. 
• Again, you will need to cast your vote (your valid email address will confirm you are a person and not a bot).

Winners will be announced live at the Black Weblog Awards Ceremony during the 2011 Blogging While Brown Conference in Los Angeles, California.

Here are the categories:

Best Blog Design (This category is for well-designed blogs that incorporate a unique and eye-catching visual web design, keen use of typography, and a killer layout)

Best Blog Network (This category is for Black blog networks. Blog networks should be comprised of at least three blogs with content updated regularly, include some level of quality control, and include some type of blog network indication which links to the blog network’s site.)

Best Blog Post Series (This category is for a series of posts in a blog about a particular topic. Posts can be fiction or non-fiction, but post series must be linked by a common and identifiable theme with the ability to skip forward or backwards through the series for judging purposes.)

Best Business Blog (This category is for blogs that talk about the modern business world.)

Best Culture Blog (This category is for blogs which analyze and discuss Black culture and/or the African diaspora with respect to art, dance, Black history, music, and other related content.)

Best Cooking or Food Blog (This category is for blogs which focus on food and/or recipes. Blogs may also include restaurant and product reviews.)

Best Faith-Based Blog (This category is for blogs which feature unique religious and spiritual content from any religion or faith.)

Best Fashion or Beauty Blog (This category is for blogs which cover the topics of beauty, fashion, clothing, cosmetics, design, accessories, personal styling, and other related content for either men or women.)

Best Film Blog (This category is for blogs which promote or discuss films, actors, film culture, and other related content.)

Best Gaming or Comics Blog (This category is for blogs which promote or discuss films, actors, film culture, and other related content.)

Best Gossip Blog (This category is for blogs that focus on the reporting, satire, and lampooning of celebrities and pop culture.)

Best Group Blog (This category is for a single blog which is updated by a group of people (two or more people. This blog can be about any topic.)

Best Health or Wellness Blog (This category is for blogs that focus on health, fitness, living green, and overall physical wellness.)

Best Hip-Hop Blog (This category is for blogs that focus primarily on hip-hop culture, including urban fashion, current events, hip-hop music, and other related content.)

Best Humor Blog (This category is for humor blogs or blogs which feature humorous content. All sites comedy-related, including humor sites, sites spotlighting comedians, and sites that simply make you laugh.)

Best International Blog (This category is for blogs of any topic that are based in countries other than the United States. The country of origin for the blog must be clearly identified for judging purposes.)

Best LGBT Blog (This category is for blogs that relate to or are about the LGBT community, including news, pop culture, or personal stories)

Best Microblog (This category is for the following types of microblogs: Twitter profiles, Tumblr blogs, or Posterous blogs.)


Best Music Blog (This category is for blogs that focus on music; blogs can provide downloadable mp3s, and may cover more than one genre of music. The majority of the blog should be about music, not satire on pop culture.)

Best New Blog This category is for blogs of any topic which have been started on or after September 1, 2010.)

Best Parenting or Family Blog (This category is for blogs which center around the topics of family, raising children, families, etc.)

Best Personal Blog (This category is for blogs written by individuals about themselves or about others. Blogs do not have to adhere to a specific theme, but should specifically be about the blogger’s life.)

Best Photography Blog (This category is for blogs which present and feature photographs taken by the blog author.)

Best Podcast Series (This category highlights podcasts — serialized audio files available to download — on any topic.)

Best Political or News Blog (This category is for blogs which are about politics or current newsworthy topics.)

Best Science or Technology Blog (This category is for blogs which feature content about biology, chemistry, physics, technology, the Internet, and the various realms of science)

Best Sex or Relationships Blog (This category is for blogs which discuss or analyze romantic or interpersonal relationship topics, sexual health or other sexual or relationship topics.)

Best Sports Blog (This category is for blogs which discuss or analyze anything sports-related, including professional sports teams, fantasy sports, sports players, and other related content.)

Best Teen Blog (This category is for blogs of any topic where the author is anywhere from 13-19 years old.)

Best Travel Blog (This category is for blogs which explore world travel, travel plans, tourism, travel writing, or other related content.)


Best Video Blog/Vlogger (This category highlights blogs which feature original video content by the blog’s author on any topic. Blog content must be primarily video content.)

Best Writing in a Blog (This category is for blogs which have exceptional writing.)

Blog of the Year (The blog of the year has it all: great writing, frequent posts, active comments and a strong reader base)

Blog to Watch (This category is for that great blog that not everyone knows about…but should! It’s undiscovered. It’s a best kept secret)

Best Lifestyle Blog

Best Plus-Sized Fashion Blog

Best Automotive/ Car Blog

Best Green/ Nature/ Outdoor Living Blog

I hope that you take a moment to nominate those Black-owned and Black-operated blogs that you've been enjoying over the past year!

Harley-Davidson Foundation

The mission of the Harley-Davidson Foundation is to support the communities in which we have facilities with funding and employee volunteerism. The Foundation reaches out to build healthy, thriving communities by placing an emphasis on Education, Community Revitalization, Arts & Culture, Health and the Environment. The Harley-Davidson Foundation targets areas of greatest need among under-served populations to enhance the quality of life in our communities. The Foundation also supports selected national causes, including Veterans initiatives.

In making granting decisions, the Foundation looks closely for the following detail:

1. The proposal's relevance to the Foundation’s areas of interest
2. The proposal's clarity in stating the expected project or program outcomes and the strategy for achieving them
3. The extent to which the strategy involves a collaborative approach to solving a problem or issue affecting the targeted groups or organizations

Geographic Focus: Talladega, AL; Kansas City, MO; York, PA; Franklin, WI; Milwaukee, WI; Menomonee Falls, WI; Tomahawk, WI; Wauwatosa, WI

Please let us know if your chapter is interested in working with BETF to approach this funding source for support of your Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship program funding.


Harley-Davidson Foundation
3700 W. Juneau Avenue
Milwaukee WI 53208
Telephone: (414) 343-4001

First Annual BDPA IT-oLogy Scholarship Awarded to Charlotte High School Student

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management awarded the first annual BDPA IT-oLogy scholarship to Jerron Jamerson.

Jamerson was selected based on the quality of his application, essay and letters of recommendation. In his essay, Jerron wrote, “Continuous advances in computer science have helped to make business processes more efficient and technology more cost effective for consumers, while computer applications become more and more user-friendly.” Jamerson, a senior at Phillip O’Berry Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, plans use this one-time $2,000 scholarship to study Computer Science at South Carolina State University.

The scholarship was offered to student members of National BDPA. Applicants had to excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential and make an impact on their communities through service to others. Applicants had to be high school seniors from South Carolina or North Carolina or planning to attend a college in either of these two states.

IT-oLogy is offering this scholarship to continue to encourage more young people to look into Information Technology as a career. “Students who pick IT as their profession have the unique opportunity to pick any industry or type of business to apply their skills and help create the future,” stated Lonnie Emard, Executive Director of IT-oLogy.

“We hope to continue to impact on the advancement of our students into science, technology, engineering or math related careers and getting a degree in information technology is one way to get it done, " said BDPA Education and Technology Foundation Executive Director Wayne Hicks.

The BDPA Insider - April 17, 2011

 

 
The BDPA Insider - April 17, 2011

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!
 
In this issue:  

1. 2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open
2. Bemley Scholar James Arama Heads to Marist College
3. Computer Resource Solutions Changes Identity to The CRS Group
4. Member on the Move: Coram Rimes (BDPA New Jersey)
5. Record-breaking Microsoft patch day affects all versions of Windows
6. Take Five: Dalric Webb (Cincinnati)

Walter & Elise Haas Fund

For more than six decades, Walter A. Haas, Sr. and his wife, Elise Stern Haas, contributed to the quality of business and cultural life of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. First as president and later as chairman of the board, Mr. Haas led the development of Levi Strauss and Co. from a small western pants manufacturer to the largest apparel company in the world. An artist and civic leader, Mrs. Haas helped pave the way for future generations of women to participate fully in their community.

The couple created the Walter & Elise Haas Fund to provide education grants to improve the quality of public education by building effective school communities. The program goals focus on school leadership, teacher quality and partnerships for school improvement to build engaging, effective school communities. The Fund gives priority to programs that focus on increasing educational opportunities for underserved students.

The fund's goal is to engage parents, youth, and the broader community in activities to improve the quality of education in public schools. The activities may be led by organizations external to the school system or be initiated within the public schools. These may include:

• Programs and projects that build meaningful collaborations among parents and other members of the school community
• Activities and organizations that engage youth to help improve academic success and develop collaboration with teachers, parents, and other adults within their school communities
• Programs that build effective partnerships between public schools and the broader community
• Limited support for broader school reform efforts that improve partnership for school improvement

This funding source seems best suited for our BDPA Bay Area chapter. We hope to hear from them if there is interest in seeking funding from Haas Fund.

Grant Declination: Procter & Gamble Fund (BDPA Cincinnati)

We are sorry to report that our grant proposal to the Procter & Gamble Fund has been turned down. The grant proposal was a joint submission of BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Cincinnati chapter.

The declination response read as follows:

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Dear Mr. Hicks:

Thank you for your interest in a grant from The P&G Fund. As you saw from our online guidelines and application, we are focusing our philanthropic resources primarily on Live, Learn and Thrive.

The P&G Fund's grant process is extremely competitive, and we cannot honor each organization's request. Unfortunately, we are not able to make a grant to your organization at this time.

This decision is not a reflection on your program; it is simply the reality that the quantity of high quality applications we receive far outweighs the available resources we have to distribute.

We wish you the best in your efforts to improve life for those in need!

The P&G Fund

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This is a set-back to our funding efforts on behalf of the BDPA Cincinnati chapter, however, we will continue to move forward in an aggressive manner. You can help if you are so inclined. Please take a moment to visit the BDPA Cincinnati HSCC Scholarship Fund project. Even a donation as small as $10 would be a great morale boost for the chapter and its leadership.

Grant Proposal: Lucky Brand Foundation (BDPA Chicago)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) joined with BDPA Chicago chapter to submit a grant proposal to Lucky Brand Foundation. We seek funding to support the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program being operated in the Windy City.

We hope that the Lucky Brand Foundation will smile favorably on our request. In the meantime, we ask that you do what you can to help BDPA Chicago chapter in its effort to make a difference for inner-city youth who want to advance their careers by learning more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Group Looks to 'Match' Tech Executives With Nonprofits

By Jennifer Valentino-DeVries

Could the Silicon Valley management style help charitable organizations?

An organization called Palindrome Advisors thinks so, and it launched a program Wednesday that aims to match executives in technology and other industries with nonprofits that need their help.

“In technology terms, think of Palindrome as a “match.com” for industry leaders and the boards of nonprofits,” the group’s founder, Zaw Thet.

Palindrome has 100 executives signed up already — including Twitter’s president of global revenue, Adam Bain; Apple’s director of iPhone apps, Dag Kittlaus; and Ellen Siminoff, a founding executive and former senior vice president at Yahoo. The list of advisers is mostly from the tech world, but there are some outliers, including those in government, the energy business and even nightclubs.

The idea of using business management techniques — particularly those in the technology industry — to make charities more efficient is nothing new. Its most famous incarnation is likely found in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which puts a priority on using science and technology to tackle the world’s problems. And other entrepreneurs have made a point of committing large sums of money to charity, most recently when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, AOL co-founder Steve Case and others signed a pledge to give away most of their fortune.


But Palindrome’s group isn’t for the billionaires of the world; it’s for people who have executive and start-up experience and want to give back by donating expertise.

“There was no easy path for nonprofits to find experienced leaders to help them at a board management level,” Mr. Thet said in a statement.

He explained that nonprofits need help marketing, developing growth plans and managing customer relationships, among other things. “A board role is not just about fundraising.”

Where Are They Now: 1996 BDPA Leaders

I came across a list of our National BDPA Board of Directors from 1996 while cleaning up my home office. It includes chapter presidents and national officers who served in leadership positions back in the day. I would love for these powerful brothers and sisters to come visit with us on this blog. Perhaps we can get them to POST A COMMENT to let us know what they are up to now. Here are those 1996 leaders:

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• Midge Johnson, Executive Director
• George Williams, National President
• Roxanne Burrus, National Treasurer
• Barbara Fuller, National Secretary
• Earl Pace, Founder
• Michael McCrimmon, Atlanta President
• Zina Foote, Baltimore President
• Paul Seabrook, Bay Area President
• Richard Bell, Central Arkansas President
• Candice Anderson, Charlotte President
• Betty Hutchins, Chattanooga President
• Patrick Nelson, Cincinnati President
• Judy Williams, Cleveland President
• Leonard Rivers, Columbus President
• Henry Fields, Colorado President
• Clifford Clarke, Ft. Wayne President
• Caryl Thomas, Gr San Fernando Valley President
• Anne York, Gr Tampa Bay President
• Valerie Thomas, Hartford President
• Terrell Jean, Houston President
• Richard Clement, Lansing President
• Reggie Watson, Los Angeles President
• Tim Wilson, Mass Metrowest President
• Jeffrey Cunningham, Memphis President
• Louis Lezama, Miami President
• Beverly Johnson, No. New Jersey President
• Deborah Williams, Northwest Indiana President
• John Wright, Omaha President
• Frank Bright, Philadelphia President
• Bill Trotter, Phoenix President
• Hubert Harris, Richmond President
• Ken Walker, Rocky Mountain President
• Donald Gerard, Silicon Valley President
• Neil Baptiste, St. Louis President
• Paulette Lalor, Toledo President
• Gerardette Furlow, Triangle President
• Greg Douglass, Twin Cities President
• Rudy Duke, Washington DC President

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These are remarkable brothers and sisters. I hope that you will share your thoughts and rememberances on the 1996 BDPA leadership team down in the POST A COMMENT link down below. What say u?

Nationwide Insurance Foundation

The Nationwide Insurance Foundation is an independent corporation funded by Nationwide Companies to help positively impact the quality of life in communities where their associates, agents and their families live and work.

The Foundation celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2010. Over the past 10 years, the Nationwide Foundation has awarded more than $207 million to qualified nonprofit organizations that work to meet crucial needs in communities with large Nationwide associate populations.

The best chance for BDPA-related funding from Nationwide Insurance Foundation rests with BDPA Columbus chapter. If that chapter is interested in partnering with BETF ... we would be happy to work on a joint grant proposal.

Bemley Scholar James Arama Heads to Marist College

James Arama

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to learn that 2-time national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) champion James Arama is using his Jesse Bemley Scholarship to help fund his freshman year at Marist College. James is studying computer science and software development at Marist College, as well as applying his knowledge to his own entrepreneurial venture.

We asked James to share his thoughts about his experiences as a member of the BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter:

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In December of 2008 I joined BDPA, an organization that seeks to help minorities succeed in technology careers. The local BDPA chapter ran a Youth Computer Training Program (YCTP) that teaches students web programming techniques. I heard about the program from my friends who had posted pictures and updates on Facebook after they had won the National High School Computer Competition the year before. I signed up for the class with a goal of earning a spot on the competition team and competing at the National Competition. Whenever my teachers gave assignments and extra credit, I would search through online tutorials to ensure my project exceeded all the requirements. By the end of the year, my class rank was high enough to earn a spot on the competition team, a rarity for a first year student.

As a team, we got together during the summer to prepare for the competition via "boot camp," practicing our programming skills for up to thirty hours per week. At the end of the summer we traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to compete against twenty-two other teams from much larger cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. The competition spanned two days, culminating with a seven hour programming project, which required us to create a full database-driven web application from scratch with no outside help. This year's project, which the teams had no advance knowledge of, required the students to write a web-based application allowing potential investors to fill out a form to invest in a venture company and immediately determine potential return of investment, using programming languages such as Java, Javascript, ASP, PHP, .NET in conjunction with MySQL, HTML and CSS.

2009 National HSCC Champions

We used our time wisely. Each member of our team had his/her own portion of the project to work on. I was the Technical Architect as well as a web designer. We began by addressing the requirements. Upon completion of each requirement, we utilized a double blind testing method wherein two independent evaluators tested the application. Errors identified by the evaluators were categorized as either consequential or inconsequential. Consequential errors that deemed to affect the functionality of the requirements were addressed immediately whereas inconsequential errors that deemed not to affect the functionality of the requirements were addressed as time permitted. Due to our methodical approach, we finished our project in four hours, leaving three more hours for more testing and enhancements. Our team ended up taking first place, beating the second place team by a large ten percent margin. At that point I was so stunned that I did not know how to digest what had just happened, but I was glad to be able to call myself a National Champion.

James is in the middle

To some extent I have believed that my life has always been full of luck. How else could I have come from one of the poorest villages in Africa, lived in the most unsanitary slums, won an immigration lottery and received national recognition for my computer programming and artistic skills? But as I mature, I realize these blessings are not due to luck at all. My family has supported each other through hard work to turn our fortunes around. They have supported and encouraged me to fulfill my potential. Without this support, I could not have achieved these goals and become the person that I am.

I now have many new goals. I strive to achieve great success in college, lead a career in business and technology, and impact the world in ways that I would never have thought possible while growing up in rural Kenya. But perhaps my biggest goal right now is to show my younger brothers that they too can find greatness in life – if we just stay together and work towards our goals as a family.

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BETF is very proud of James Arama. He was part of the HSCC team trained by BDPA Southern Minnesota that won the 2010 national HSCC championship in Philadelphia.


Our hope is that we can provide more students with Bemley Scholarships over the coming weeks. If you believe in what we are doing ... please take a moment to help us do more.

Take Five: Dalric Webb (Cincinnati)

There are many members, officers and leaders around the country who are volunteering their time, talent and energy to support the growth of BDPA. This blog plans to take some time to ask these folks about their thoughts about past, present and future of BDPA.


Dalric Webb, an Engineering Information Technology manager at GE Aviation, recently joined the leadership team of BDPA Cincinnati as the chapter's VP-Membership Management. Dalric is an MCSE+I and received his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Hampton University, his Masters in Information Technology from Capella University, and his MBA with a concentration in Information Management from Grantham University. BDPA expects Dalric to provide the leadership and inspiration necessary to grow the membership of a chapter with a rich BDPA history.

Dalric shared some of his thoughts on BDPA with us in the following Take Five interview:

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1. How did you get involved with BDPA? I first attended a “mixer” a few years back where I met Wm. David Wynn who was the Director of Recruitment and Retention for BDPA Cincinnati chapter. I kept his card and when “life” slowed down a bit, I reached out to the BDPA organization and connected with BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Wanda Gray to find out how I could get engaged with the chapter. Wanda suggested I jump in head first and help her out as a member of the chapter's board of directors.
2. What do you see as the biggest benefit of your BDPA membership? The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Cincinnati’s Black IT professionals through skill building, networking, or empowering our future.
3. What future evolution or change would you like to see in BDPA? Building or establishing deeper and stronger connection with the city through some annual or regular event or activity. Something that provides a BDPA “signature” for Cincinnati. Something that BDPA can become “known” for providing that brings residual value to the community.
4. What would you like Corporate America to know about BDPA? That the organization is viable, vibrant and an excellent source for recruitment and spreading the corporate message of diversity through engagement with local organizations.
5. Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? An investment in the African American IT youth is a sure 'win–win' equation.

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This blog encourages its readers to use the COMMENTS option to share their thoughts on these interviews.  Also, we hope that you will take a moment to make a donation in support of the BDPA Cincinnati Scholarship Fund.  Dalric shared some personal insights ... I hope that you share some BDPA-love in return.

Duke Energy Foundation

Duke Energy Foundation reviews grant requests at a regional level. These grant requests are considered in the context of the needs of the community and in alignment with the foundation's areas of focus. At the core of The Duke Energy Foundation is its commitment to the community. The focus area that provides the most promise for funding BDPA programs is:

• Economic Development
  
  1. Pre K-12 education focused on math, science and technology
  2. Higher education, government or other non-profit initiatives designed to support innovative solutions for business/industry/workforce challenges.

Is your chapter operating in a Duke Energy community? Does your chapter have any members that are Duke Energy employees? Answer 'yes' to either or both of these questions and we should follow-up with a joint grant proposal. BETF operates on a first-come; first-served basis. Let us know if your chapter is interested in pursuing this potential funding source.

Grant Recipient: BDPA Cleveland ($539)

BDPA Cleveland Computer Camp

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) approved a $539 funding request from BDPA Cleveland chapter earlier this month. The funds are needed by the chapter in order to support its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The chapter is engaged in active STEM-based training of high school students in web-based programming and general computer skills. The chapter plans to bring a number of these students to the Midwest Regional HSCC and IT Showcase held on June 11, 2011 in Cincinnati as well as the 2011 National BDPA HSCC championship held later this year in Chicago.

BETF was able to review and approve this funding request within 24 hours because the chapter followed the simple 7-step funding process laid out on our website. Our hope is that all 45 local BDPA chapters will aggressively pursue funding sources and opportunities in concert with BETF over the coming weeks and months.

This particular funding request was spearheaded by BDPA Cleveland chapter president Henry Wiggins, chapter past president Ken Wilson and chapter SITES coordinator Sylvia Calhoun.

BDPA Cleveland chapter hopes to be in a position to provide college scholarships to some of the students in their SITES program. Perhaps you can help these young people continue to pursue their interest in technology?

Gannett Foundation Community Grants Program

BETF seeks multiple BDPA chapters interested in submitting a grant proposal to support your SITES program to the Gannett Foundation.

Purpose: The Gannett Foundation gives grants to organizations in the communities in which Gannett owns a daily newspaper or television station.

The Gannett Foundation’s mission: to invest in the future of the communities in which Gannett does business, and in the future of its industry.

They value projects that take a creative approach to fundamental issues such as education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem-solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation and cultural enrichment.

All that we need is to have a copy of your SITES program budget in order to move forward. Please let me know if you are interested in exploring this grant opportunity.

This Week in BDPA (Apr 10-16)

BDPA has 45 chapters around the nation. You can always find programs, services or networking activity here or here. BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you will continue to support Our Cause!

Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Apr 12: Greater Columbia - Program Meeting, 'Smart Grid and Demand Response'
• Apr 14: New Jersey - Program Meeting, 'BDPA Open Forum'
• Apr 15: Baton Rouge - Program Meeting, 'Resume Writing and Interview Skills'

We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events! Please let us know of other BDPA events that we may have missed. Most importantly, let us know if you plan to attend any BDPA events this week.

American Express Philanthropy

American Express Philanthropy accepts inquiries for funding on an ongoing basis throughout the year. They welcome innovative ideas and approaches, however, they seldom support unsolicited requests.

As such they encourage eligible organizations to submit a letters of inquiry (maximum 1-2 pages, no attachments) that answers the following questions:

• What is your organization's mission?
  
• What is the nature of the project for which you are requesting support?
  
• How does this project fit into our giving themes of Cultural Heritage, Leadership and Community Service?
  
• What is the proposed timeline for the project?
  
• What is the project budget and how much will you be requesting from American Express?
  
• Do you have any other supporters or pending requests for support for this project?
  
• What are your criteria for evaluating the success of the project?
  
• The giving area for which you are applying (Cultural Heritage, Leadership, Community Service) should be clearly marked on the envelope containing the letter

Local Priorities: As a global company, American Express Philanthropy touches many local communities within the United States and around the world. When working with local organizations to support their giving themes, priority is given to projects in the locations co-located with BDPA chapters in Atlanta, Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, South Florida and Washington DC.

Does your chapter have current supporters or members that work at American Express?

Member on the Move: Coram Rimes (BDPA New Jersey)

BDPA New Jersey chapter past president Coram Rimes serves as commissioner for the Orange (NJ) Housing Authority. He was recently recognized by the National League of Cities (NLC) for reaching the Platinum level in its Certificate of Achievement in Leadership program. This is a certification level reached by only a few NLC members since its inception in 1999.

NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. As part of the NLC mission to create stronger communities, the Leadership Training Institute provides local officials, like Coram, with the professional development opportunities to assist then in promoting positive change and innovation within their communities. At the same time, seminars are designed to explore the nature and practice of local governmental leadership.

Each training seminar addresses one or more of the core areas of municipal leadership, including personal leadership growth and development, effective governance, effective communications, skills in developing and promoting partnerships and managing change.


BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very proud of Coram Rimes for his work with BDPA and his work as a public official in the city of Orange! He is truly a BDPA member (and BETF donor) on the move!

The BDPA Insider - April 10, 2011

The BDPA Insider - April 10, 2011

Hall of Fame: Earl Pace

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:  

1. 2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open
2. BDPA in the News – BusinessWire Article on Earl Pace
3. Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Seeks Applications for $5,000 College Scholarship
4. Message from New York Chapter President
5. Seeking TECHie Camp Instructors in Cincinnati, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington DC

Which of this week's articles did you find the most compelling?

GE Healthcare Foundation

GE Healthcare invites grant applications from registered, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations that focus on youth education or promotes healthy lives located in the following U.S. urban areas: Seattle, Wash.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Burlington, Vt.; Florence, S.C.; Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz.; Central New Jersey (specifically Princeton and Piscataway); and in the following additional countries: Canada; Brazil; and Mexico.

Organizations may request grants ranging from $1,000 to $15,000. GE Healthcare seeks to provide funding in the following Youth Education Program Areas:

• Underserved and urban communities with low graduation rates
  
• Focus on youth from K-12 public education
  
• Support core competencies, such as math, science, reading, writing

It appears that this funding opportunity is only available to our local BDPA chapters in Dallas or Seattle. Do you know any members of the GE Healthcare family that might be able to help us?