Eliza Dizon Wins JnJ Scholarship for her Senior Year at Virginia State University

Eliza Dizon

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that Johnson & Johnson awarded a $2,500 college scholarship to eight (8) students. One of those students is Virginia State University senior Eliza Dizon. Eliza is currently a Business Management Information Systems Major and Cyber Security and Forensics Minor who plans to graduate next year.

We now live in a world that is more connected than ever before. The Internet touches almost all aspects of everyone’s daily life, whether we realize it or not. Recognizing the importance of cybersecurity to our nation, President Obama designated October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. It is appropriate that Eliza wins this scholarship because she plans to use her technical skills gained at VSU when she joins the military after graduation.

"There are few BDPA members at my university, so the best times I have had are trying to recruit other members through my testimony. Being a member of BDPA has given me the opportunity to network with current IT professionals thus feeling more comfortable with adjusting from the classroom to the workforce," said Eliza. "By awarding me this Scholarship Award, you have lightened my financial burden which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school, learning. Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me."

Eliza is a member of our BDPA Richmond chapter. We encourage our readers to take a moment to make a secure donation in support of the BDPA Richmond scholarship program.

Volunteer Grant * McKesson Foundation (BDPA Richmond)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation received a volunteer grant award of $500 from the McKesson Foundation. The donation was the direct result of the service that Christopher Parker provided as a member of the BDPA Richmond board of directors.

Many employers offer volunteer grants. We encourage all BDPA members and supporters to see if they are eligible for similar volunteer grants to support the programs, scholarships and services of their local chapter!

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Richmond ($3,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) approved a $3,000 grant disbursement to BDPA Richmond chapter. The request for funding was submitted by chapter president Christopher Parker.

Christopher wrote,

"We are requesting our restricted funds ($2,500 from McKesson matching gifts and $500 from McKesson board grant. We will use the funding to support $2,000 in college scholarships in Fall 2013 and Spring 2014; $300 for elementary LEGO and other chapter operations such as program meetings."

This grant disbursement flows smoothly with the BETF vision to achieve, through investment in education and technology, an informed minority community prepared to lead and leverage the knowledge revolution for the benefit of the community-at-large. BETF hopes to work with BDPA Richmond chapter on funding for its 2014 SITES program.

Quite frankly, BETF wants to work with all 46 local BDPA chapters and any interested BDPA member or supporter to explore increased funding opportunities through payroll deductions or joint grant proposals.

Message from BDPA Richmond Chapter President

Members and Friends,

Christopher Parker

Last week we had the awesome opportunity to host 'BDPA Day' on the Virginia State University (VSU) campus. We had the honor and pleasure of talking to management information systems majors and others about the benefits of being a part of a professional organization. Also, we shared how BDPA Richmond plans to work with VSU and the students to have a strong chapter presence in the fall semester. Finally, we talked about the ways that our BDPA programs can help prepare them to succeed in their future careers.

BDPA handed out organizational information before hosting a discussion with a panel of Richmond-area Information Technology professionals, including past National BDPA vice president Allison Aheart. Eleven VSU students were able to ask questions about the industry and learn from our experiences. BDPA Richmond chapter used 'BDPA Day' to strengthen our bonds with the VSU faculty ... including a new relationship with the VSU director of corporate relations. It helps that the VSU chief information officer, Hubert Harris, is a past BDPA Richmond chapter president!

BDPA will continue to help the VSU students travel from 'the classroom to the boardroom'. It is part of our ongoing mission to deliver programs for adults, high school students, middle school students and elementary schools students in a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) areas. VSU 'BDPA Day' was a reminder of how each of us has the wonderful privilege to impact someone else in a positive manner solely through the gift of time.

Please contact me to learn more about our fundraiser to help support the purchase of college student memberships in BDPA. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Christopher Parker, president
BDPA Richmond Chapter

Message from BDPA Richmond Chapter President

GENERAL CHAPTER UPDATE AND NEWS

Christopher Parker

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! One huge thing that we are thankful for is the return home of James Byrd this Saturday, 11/24. While James was in the hospital, the National BDPA vice president Dr. Craig Brown, sent flowers on behalf of BDPA, and the Richmond Chapter delivered a card and reading materials. James was visited by current and prior members, and we are all happy that he is doing much better!

The joint BDPA and NSBE LEGO robotics team competed at the Virginia FIRST LEGO League Qualifier at L.C. Bird High School on 11/3. The kids and trainers did a great job, and we look forward to the bright future that lies ahead for our youth due to programs like LEGO robotics that prepare our youth to be competitive in technology at an early age.

EVENTS

It's that time of year again! Richmond Leadership Network (RLN) Annual Holiday Party 2012 on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at the Omni Richmond (Downtown) Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219 7PM - 11PM. Business Professional/Coctail Attire. Come join the RLN and BDPA for the traditional RLN Holiday Party. Advance ticket price $20, At the door $25.

As a member of RLN, BDPA is providing 10 free tickets to current members and those who have volunteered this year. If you would like a ticket, please send an email to president@bdparichmond.org by December 7th.

To purchase other tickets, go to http://rln2012holidayparty.eventbrite.com

WHAT'S NEXT?

After filling two key executive board member positions (VP of Communications and VP of Strategy), we will be holding an Executive Board meeting in December to plan for a chapter strategy session at the beginning of the year that will be open to all current members, past members, volunteers, and those interested in becoming a part of the chapter. We were not able to bring in the I.T. Risk Management and Security expert in Q3 to talk to the VSU college chapter and Richmond I.T. professionals. A key to allowing his company to fund the travel depended on our ability to coordinate with the students, and we could not complete the necessary logistics and align schedules. We hope to reserve this topic again for next year. The website project team is gathering content as we prepare to redesign our site for 2013.

Please listen to my BDPA iRadio Show interview that took place on November 27th.

Sincerely,
Christopher Parker, president
BDPA Richmond Chapter

Matching Gift Award: McKesson Foundation ($2,500)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to inform you that the McKesson Foundation awarded us a $2,500 matching gift 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 $2,500.00, which was made possible by McKesson Foundation Matching Gift Program.

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.

Part of the McKesson Foundation mission is to support our employees' community involvement efforts, and we are proud to be among your current supporters.

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 made a $2,500 donation to BETF earlier this year to support the efforts of the 2012 High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by his chapter.  He worked with BETF and his company to get them to make a 100% match of his gift ... and the company cut this check in support of BDPA programs, scholarships and services.

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

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!

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Richmond ($2,500)

All of BDPA nation is scrambling to round up the funds necessary to bring their students to the upcoming 2012 BDPA Technology Conference being held in Baltimore. BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) strives to support those chapters. As such, it is with pleasure that we announce a $2,500 grant disbursement to the BDPA Richmond chapter.

BDPA Richmond chapter president Christopher Parker noted that the funding would be used to, "send a team of high school students, chaperones and training team members to participate in the national High School Computer Competition championship and the Youth Technology Camp."

We look forward to seeing the young faces that will benefit from this grant disbursement ... and we encourage you to help us raise funds to give scholarships to BDPA Richmond chapter HSCC students in the future.

Message From BDPA Richmond Chapter President

BDPA Richmond chapter president Christopher Parker and his leadership team shared the following update on chapter programs, scholarships and services:

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• Fundraising - Last October, BDPA Richmond celebrated its 20th Anniversary as a chapter. BDPA Richmond raised $826.70 for educational programs and scholarships after expenses. Thank you to all those who attended and participated! Your contributions will help send 5 students to this year’s National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.
• National BDPA Conference - One of the ways in which BDPA “advances careers from the classroom to the boardroom” is through our National Conference. This year’s conference will take place at the Baltimore Hilton on August 1-4. Our keynote speaker will be cyber-security czar Dr. Ernest McDuffie. The conference is designed to inform, motivate and encourage networking for professionals in the IT industry. During the four‐day conference, participants can expect to share their experiences with peers, attend the career fair, explore the displays at the technology expo, and participate in a wide array of workshops and seminars reflecting leading‐edge technologies and strategies. Please log on to www.bdpa.org for more information, and I encourage you to attend.
• Adult Computer Literacy Program - Congratulations to our first graduating class of 2012 for our Adult Computer Literacy Program in collaboration with 5th Baptist Church on Cary Street. Students participated in a 12-week training program which is comprised of a beginning, intermediate and advanced computer concepts courses. In the beginner’s course, the students were taught about computer components and how they interact, computer terminology, numbering schemes, operating systems, and about Internet browsers including effective searches. The intermediate class was mostly centered on learning about the Windows operating system in more in-depth detail. Lastly, the advanced course taught computer networking concepts and how to build a home network. The students did an outstanding job and their computer knowledge was truly enhanced. Best of all, this course is free!
• Membership - Please welcome our new VP of Business Management -- Michael Tolliver (Bank of America). Michael is working with me to further strengthen and expand our programs, and to fill out our Executive Board.
• 3rd Quarter Preview - A planning meeting will be held for a Lego partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. A tentative speaker for a Q3 program meeting has been contacted to provide an overview, and to discuss opportunities in I.T. Risk Management and Security for I.T. professionals and college students.
  Executive Board Positions will be posted for leadership opportunities to build resume experience and career skills.

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BDPA Richmond chapter is scrambling right now to get all the funding it needs. Perhaps you can click here to help them?

Message from Richmond Chapter HSCC Coordinator

Candace Johnson-Hamlin

Greetings,

BDPA Richmond chapter is pleased to announce the start of its Annual High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Program. The goal of this exciting training and competition is to increase youth interest in Information Technology. The chapter is now recruiting rising 9th to 12th grade students to enroll in its Youth Technology HSCC Program.

The program provides an environment where high school students have an opportunity to compete on an academic level and showcase their technical skills and creativity. Selected students receive several weeks of introductory and advanced training in computer technologies such as HTML, ASP.NET, and relational databases. Students also gain essential skills such as presentation delivery and teamwork.

At the conclusion of the program, selected students will represent BDPA Richmond in the National High School Computer Competition, which will be held at the National BDPA Conference on August 1-4, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. The competition team will enjoy an all-expense paid trip to the conference with an opportunity to win college scholarships.

BDPA Richmond Computer Camp (2012)

View more documents from BDPA Foundation

If you are interested in having your students participate in our program please forward this information on to all of your technology teachers so that they can direct students to our program. If you have any questions or need additional information, email me or give me a call at (804) 432-3465. Also, feel free to attend our kickoff program on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at ECPI College of Technology located at 4305 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA, at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Sincerely,
Candace Johnson-Hamlin, HSCC Coordinator
BDPA Richmond Chapter

Payroll Pledge: Bank of America United Way Campaign

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is grateful to Jacki Davis (Richmond) and Jeanette Wiggins (Rhode Island) for their payroll deduction pledge via the Bank of America United Way Campaign.

The donation received from Jacki will be restricted for support of the BDPA programs and services hosted by our BDPA Richmond chapter. The donation received from Jeanette will be restricted for support of the BDPA programs and services hosted by our BDPA Rhode Island chapter.

Our hope is that BDPA members and supporters will follow the example set by Jacki and Jeanette. We need more individual giving if we hope to grow our efforts to fund the youth education programs of BDPA around the nation.

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, Oct 2011)

It has been over a year since this blog shared an update on the top 10 BDPA chapters in terms of membership totals. A look over the membership totals in the past 14 months shows us that BDPA needs to be very focused on membership recruitment and retention in the coming weeks and months. The organization needs to continue to focus on delivering programs that advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry. This needs to be an area of focus for all 45 local BDPA chapters as well as the national leadership team.

Membership is the lifeblood of any organization. The 45 BDPA chapters in BDPA-nation average 26 members (down 9 from Aug 2010).

Pam Sexton

BDPA Chicago (president, Pamela Sexton) continues to demonstrate excellence in the area of recruitment and retention of its membership. This chapter has been #1 in membership for the 54 months in a row. We are going to try to document some of the best practices from the Chicago chapter leadership team on how they keep growing their membership -- their chapter total is over 200 right now.

BDPA Cincinnati (president, Wanda Gray) made the largest gains over the past 14 months as her chapter leapfrogged nine (9) slots to become the 3rd largest in the nation. I attended the Cincinnati chapter strategic planning meeting over the past weekend and I can tell you that the incoming leadership team understands the importance of active adult members. It should be interesting to see if the chapter can maintain its upward momentum in the coming weeks and months.


The top ten chapters in terms of membership are:

1. Chicago
2. Atlanta - (improved three places since Aug 2010)
3. Cincinnati - (improved nine places) * NEW *
4. Philadelphia (dropped one place)
5. New York (improved one place)
6. Washington DC (dropped four places)
7. New Jersey (improved two places)
8. Los Angeles
9. Charlotte (improved two places) * NEW *
10. Richmond (improved seven places) * NEW *

Only one chapter -- BDPA Chicago -- is in the BDPA Century Club with at least 100 members. BDPA Chicago chapter tops the list with 239 members!    The three chapters that dropped out of the last report of the Top 10 BDPA chapters were Triangle (dropped 10 places to #14); Southern Minnesota (dropped 11 places to #18) and Dallas (dropped 7 places to #17).

Leave a comment if your chapter isn't listed above. We're happy to tell you where your BDPA chapter is ranked if you want. In the meantime, we would love to know what you think about membership in BDPA?

SunTrust United Way Campaign

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is grateful to Ruffin Bell for his payroll pledge through the SunTrust United Way Campaign. Ruffin asked that his donation be used to support the BDPA Richmond chapter programs and services.

Our hope is that other SunTrust employees will follow Ruffin's example!

Payroll Pledge: United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is pleased to receive payroll pledges via the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg that are being used to support programs hosted by BDPA Richmond chapter.

Have you considered making a payroll pledge to support our nonprofit efforts?

Volunteer Grant Award: McKesson Foundation ($500)

Christopher Parker

McKesson Foundation sent a $500 check to the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to honor the volunteer hours donated to BDPA Richmond chapter by Christopher Parker. This volunteer grant is based on service and leadership provided by Christopher as the chapter president.

The funds will help to support the young people that are heading out next week to participate in the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition Championship in Chicago. Good luck BDPA Richmond!

Many corporations have volunteer grant programs. We encourage all BDPA supporters to place a call to their human resources department to see what it takes to qualify for a volunteer grant.

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Richmond ($1,386)

BDPA Richmond chapter worked closely with BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) for a number of years to promote payroll pledges from its membership. There are a number of BDPA Richmond chapter members who make payroll donations as part of their employer's giving campaign or as part of the local United Way campaigns. As a result, BETF collected a good deal of funds to support BDPA Richmond programs.

BETF approved a fourth grant request by BDPA Richmond chapter this month. This time a partial grant award of $1,386 has been approved by BETF and will be sent to the chapter in support of their "fall semester scholarships".

BETF encourages all 45 chapters to take advantage of the funding process that is currently in place.

Grant Recipient: BDPA Richmond ($1,500)

Richmond HSCC Team (2010)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) approved a $1,500 grant disbursement to BDPA Richmond chapter. BDPA Richmond chapter requested the funds to offset expenses of their 2011 high school computer competition (HSCC) program.

This is the third grant disbursement ... for a total of $6,000 ... provided to BDPA Richmond chapter this year. BDPA Richmond worked aggressively with BETF over the past few years to raise funds from grant proposals and individual giving. The chapter's hard fundraising work has been very successful.

We look forward to a great performance by the BDPA Richmond team at the 26th annual national HSCC championship that takes place later this year in Chicago.

Grant Recipient: BDPA Richmond ($4,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) recently approved a $4,000 grant request from BDPA Richmond chapter. The funds will be used to cover chapter expenses involved in training the high school computer competition (HSCC) students that will travel to Chicago later this year to compete in the 2011 National BDPA HSCC Championship.

BDPA Richmond chapter works aggressively with BETF to raise funds. They encourage their chapter members and leaders to make payroll deductions via United Way of Greater Richmond and other employee giving campaigns. As a result, there is a regular flow in payroll deductions that flow into BETF treasury to support BDPA programs and services in the greater Richmond area.

Also, the chapter took advantage of BETF suggestion to create a HSCC Scholarship Fund on Crowdrise to increase online donations. BETF looks forward to seeing a strong team from Richmond in the national HSCC championship later this year!

Earl Wilkerson Named 'Outstanding Volunteer of the Year' by Media General

BDPA member Earl Wilkerson has been named 2010 Outstanding Volunteer for Media General’s Richmond headquarters. The award was established to reward the employee who contributed the most time to company-sponsored events in 2010. Earl is shown in this photo accepting his award from Media General's CEO Marshall Morton.

Earl consistently and enthusiastically participated in the volunteer projects conducted last year and his dedication to volunteering led him to be nominated for the Richmond headquarters Employee Involvement Team.

“It is easy to understand why Earl has so many friends at MG. Just talk to him for a few moments and you’ll realize he genuinely cares about people and his community,” said Rich Husick, intranet web manager.

Earl was presented with a certificate and a gift card to The Boathouse restaurant. In addition, the company will make a $500 donation to the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF).

In addition to being a valued member of the Media General information technology department ... Earl is also a valued member of BDPA Richmond chapter. Earl was the lead instructor last year for the team of students trained by BDPA Richmond chapter to compete in the National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships held in Philadelphia PA.

BETF joins with all of BDPA-nation to congratulate Earl on this wonderful recognition!

And we encourage you to demonstrate your appreciation for his volunteer efforts by making a donation to the BDPA Richmond HSCC Scholarship Fund!

BDPA Richmond Chapter Overview

This is the PowerPoint presentation shared by BDPA Richmond chapter president Christopher Parker at the chapter's recent program meeting.

BDPA Richmond Chapter Overview

View more presentations from BDPA Foundation

Anything that you would like to see added, deleted or revised in this presentation?