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!

Grant Proposal: CIGNA Foundation (BDPA New York)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA New York chapter worked together to complete a $15,000 grant proposal to the CIGNA Foundation. The funding is needed to support the chapter's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarships (SITES) program.

CIGNA Foundation has a very comprehensive online grant application process. We put our best foot forward in the hopes that our funding request will be successful. We're told that the funding decisions will be made sometime before the end of November.

Wish us luck!

CIGNA Foundation

CIGNA Foundation accepts grant applications for programs that enhance the health of individuals and families and the well-being of communities. These funding applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

The CIGNA Foundation defines its activities in terms of four primary impact areas. Potential grantees will be expected to demonstrate how their activities positively impact one of these areas.

1. Promoting Wellness: Building awareness, helping people manage their health challenges and making health services available and affordable for all.
2. Expanding Opportunities: Reaching across barriers – be they based on gender, ethnicity or physical condition – to tap the talents of every person.
3. Developing Leaders: Supporting the type of community service that gives talented individuals the experience to become future leaders.
4. Embracing Communities: Connecting neighbors to create networks that will address the complex social and environmental challenges we all face.

There are no geographic restrictions to grant applications, however, preference is given to those locations where CIGNA has a significant presence. All organizations requesting funding must be current 501(c)(3) public charities. Visit the CIGNA Foundation website to review 'Frequently Asked Questions'.

Although there are no restrictions on amount of funds requested, $5000 is considered a typical grant, particularly for first-time recipients.

Decisions are made on an ongoing basis; there is no deadline for receipt of applications, although all funds are distributed on an annual basis by November 30th.

You can call the CIGNA Foundation hotline on (866) 865-5277, to answer your questions about the application process.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is willing to partner with any BDPA chapter that can demonstrate that they are co-located in a city with significant CIGNA presence. It would help if your chapter has CIGNA employees in the membership or leadership of your chapter. BETF operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Are you or your chapter interested in pursuing this funding opportunity?

Grant Award: CIGNA Foundation ($2,500)

We are pleased to announce that CIGNA Foundation recently awarded a $2,500 grant to the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF). The grant funds will be used for the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program in Philadelphia, PA. BDPA Philadelphia will train 24 students in this program. Many of these students will be taken to the 2011 BDPA Youth Technology Camp in Chicago, IL. In the end, the top five students are selected to represent Philadelphia in the 26th annual National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) to be held August 3-6, 2011.

"BDPA is convinced that our youth should be encouraged to pursue science, technology, engineering or math studies at an early age," said BETF executive director Wayne Hicks. "We are excited to work with CIGNA Foundation to expand our SITES program so that more Philadelphia-area high school students are positioned to do this."

BETF served over 800 young people across the nation in the 2010 SITES program. BETF works with BDPA to provide college scholarships, college internships, workshops, seminars, certifications and the annual IT Showcase to drive more African Americans into STEM-based curriculum in college ... and ultimately to increase the number of technically-skilled employees available to Corporate America.

"I am pleased to award this CIGNA Foundation grant to BETF in support of the Philadelphia SITES program," said executive director Gianna Jackson. "The CIGNA Foundation is committed to enhancing the well-being of the communities where we live and work. We do this, in part, through our financial support of creative and responsive programs and services being provided by organizations like BETF."

According to a recent study by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, only 47% of Black males graduate from high school. Black females do better with a 60% high school graduation rate, but the low combined graduation rate of Black students lags far behind that of white students. Programs like this one being funded in Philadelphia are critical if we hope to turn these statistics in a more positive direction.

Please join us in congratulating BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Hayward West and his team for their efforts in this successful grant-writing effort.

Grant Proposal: CIGNA Foundation (BDPA Philadelphia)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) partnered with BDPA Philadelphia chapter on a $5,000 grant proposal to CIGNA Foundation. We seek funding for the 2011 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program implemented by the 4-time defending Chapter of the Year.

We have a unique advantage in that two members of the BDPA Philadelphia chapter's board of director are employed by CIGNA. Also, Malcolm Jackson, one of our past corporate champions at CIGNA, was recently appointed by President Obama to a leadership position in the Environmental Protection Agency.

We should have an answer from the CIGNA Foundation sometime on or before the MLK Holiday.

President Obama Nominates BDPA Member Malcolm Jackson to EPA Post

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Malcolm D. Jackson, a Senior IT executive, as the incoming Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Jackson was one of two people nominated on April 28th by President Obama. President Obama said,

“The American people will be well-served by the skill and experience these two exceptional individuals will bring to their roles. I am confident that they will be tremendous assets to my administration, and I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

Mr. Jackson recently served as the Senior IT Business Unit Director of CIGNA Insurance Disability Management Business, where he managed all IT aspects that supported short term disability, long term disability, life and accident insurance products and services. From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Jackson also served as the Senior IT Business Unit Director for CIGNA Insurance Corporate Business Functions. During this tenure, Mr. Jackson directed the development of IT applications for Human Resources, Finance, Legal and Public Affairs, and Investments. In addition, Mr. Jackson had IT oversight for Corporate Owned Life Insurance, Reinsurance, and Settlement Annuities.

Prior to joining CIGNA Insurance, Mr. Jackson held various positions in the areas of IT, engineering, marketing and general business management at Monsanto, Quaker Oats, General Dynamics, and Shell Oil Company.

Throughout his career, Mr. Jackson has developed expertise in IT strategy, development of large scale enterprise resource planning, establishing performance metrics, and business process re-engineering.

Mr. Jackson is a member of NBDPA’s Chapter of The Year, the Philadelphia Chapter; a Board member of the Children’s Literacy Initiative in Philadelphia, and a Board member of the Jackson State University National Alumni Association, where he chairs the membership committee. Mr. Jackson holds a B.S. from Jackson State.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) joins the entire BDPA-nation in our joy and admiration of Malcom for this remarkable career opportunity!   I hope that we see him later this year at the 2010 National BDPA Technology Conference in Philadelphia PA.

Maintaining Independence and Peace of Mind with Technology (Philadelphia)

BDPA Philadelphia chapter, with over 150 members, won the 'Chapter of the Year' and 'Chapter Membership' awards at our annual conference last month. The Membership Award is an award bestowed upon an individual chapter and its members for their outstanding achievements in increasing the National organization's mission of being "a member-focused organization" and ensuring that each member of BDPA feels valued as a member of the association.

Philadelphia's successes are a direct result of their programs and services initiatives led by Chapter President Curtis Jenkins and President-Elect Monique Berry. The chapter serves the community by providing weekly computer training for the Philadelphia metropolitan-area high school students. The chapter's monthly program meetings sponsored by CIGNA Corporation serve to keep their membership informed of current trends in the IT industry.

The logistics for the chapter's program meeting in September are as follows:

Wednesday, September 19, 2007
6:00 pm until 8:30 pm
CIGNA Insurance Building
2 Liberty Place - 16th St. between Market and Chestnut St.
(Refreshments will be served)

The topic of the meeting is Maintaining Independence and Peace of Mind with Technology. Our presenter is Gerald Green (Vanguard Group) has held positions with increasing responsibility in driving decisions as to the technical directions for major SI initiatives in Vanguard. At our program meeting, he will discuss ways that seniors and caregivers can benefit from advances in technology. The United States population aged 65 and over is expected to double in size within the next 25 years. By 2030, almost 1 out of every 5 Americans -- some 72 million people -- will be 65 years or older. The age group 85 and older is now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population.

As the county's population grows, and ages, there are likely to be more and more older people living alone. The situation is exacerbated by loosening family and neighborhood bonds, with children often living far from aging parents and unable to keep tabs on them. "Many value their privacy and their independence," yet there is a difference between living alone and being isolated.

As long as single householders keep in contact with family, friends, neighbors or service agencies, they lessen the chances of slipping through the social safety net. Advances in telecommunication, internet, speech, and mobile technologies have opened many avenues that enable seniors to stay connected to family and friends.

BDPA Philadelphia chapter encourages you to come hear how an innovative company has developed solutions that combine the power of the Internet with the standard telephone to permit seniors to keep a level of independence yet provide peace of mind for their family and friends. The discussion will focus on:

• Automatic Speech Recognition
• SMS based mobile applications
• Web Service integration

We expect a number of other Philadelphia area leaders to be in attendance at the September program meeting, including:

• President of Caryl Technologies (a new Voice Portal Company that intends to become the premiere voice portal for the mobile consumer)
• Chairman of the Business Advisory Board for the School of Business at Howard University.
• Managing Director of Arpeggio Management (a real estate investment company)

We encourage anyone that will be in the greater Philadelphia area on September 19 to join us for this informative event and don't forget to bring a friend!

Out of curiousity, have you had any experience with elders using technology? If so, would you care to POST A COMMENT on your experience with us?