BDPA Foundation

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The BDPA Insider - January 16, 2011

The BDPA Insider - January 16, 2011

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

In this issue:

Click here for the latest issue of "The BDPA Insider":
http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/01/bdpa-insider-january-16-2011.html

Click here for "The BDPA Insider" Archives:

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

This Week in BDPA (Jan 16-22)

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 :

Jan 18: Cleveland - Program Meeting, '2011 Chapter Plans and a Membership Guarantee'
Jan 1: New York - Networking, 'BDPA Meet and Greet'
Jan 20: Cincinnati - Program Meeting, 'Information Technology in the New Economy'
Jan 22: Orlando - Program Meeting, 'IT Workforce Skills in Demand, 2011 and Beyond'
Jan 22: Chicago - Fundraiser, 'Annual Awards Banquet'
Jan 22: New Jersey - Networking, 'Professional Networking Mixer'

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.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Take Five: Jongy Howard-Calvert (So. Minnesota)

Originally Posted: 1/14/2010

Jongy Howard-Calvert is a powerful leader within BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter. She married the past chapter president, Nat Calvert, in 2002. You can find the couple working together on their business in addition to their work with BDPA.

Jongy agreed to participate in our Take Five interview series:

How did you get involved in working with BDPA? - I started helping out in the Youth Computer Training classroom by bringing snacks.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? - Seeing the light bulbs go on for students. And seeing what they can do when they become serious about the work.
Tell us about a defining moment in your life? - Learning to swim in the deep end of the pool a few years ago was liberating.
Who is your hero and why? - My late mother is my hero. She made the most of her station in life and showed her children the world with few resources.
Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? - Give what you can. It's a great investment in the future of our youth.

Share some BDPA-love with Jongy!

Grant Declination: Costco Warehouse (BDPA Chicago)

BDPA Chicago chapter officer Audra Anderson hand-delivered a letter of inquiry to the manager at the Lincoln Park (IL) Costco Warehouse in June 2010. Costco Wholesale's giving guidelines allow their warehouses and regional offices to support programs focusing on children, education and health and human services. Costco Wholesale is committed to supporting charitable and community activities in the markets where we do business. The chapter sought to receive $2,049 in-kind donation from Costco in support of student programs.

We recently learned that our request was denied by the Costco management team.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) will continue to seek out funding for our BDPA Chicago chapter. For example, we hope that you will consider helping BDPA Chicago raise scholarship funds if you believe in what we're doing to uplift our young people.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Message from New York Chapter President

Dear BDPA Members and Supporters,

BDPA New York is officially inviting high school and college students to participate in our 2011 Information Technology (IT Showcase) program.

The Information Technology (IT) Showcase allows student presenters to showcase their talents by presenting technology based research projects. The presentations represent advanced STEM based topics delivered by highly motivated high school and undergraduate college students. Each student researches a technology based topic and drafts a college level research paper. The students also prepare a poster or information board presenting the results of their research. The papers are submitted for presentation to corporate, educational and industry leaders. Student papers are sometimes published and the students may be invited to present at professional Technology workshops such as the TeraGrid and the National BDPA Annual Technology Conference.

BDPA Members we need you to volunteer to be mentors for our students to assist them in a variety of areas from January 2011 - August 2011.

Please view the solicitation letter from Carol Anthony, BDPA New York Director IT Showcase. All students interested in participating in the program and members that would like to be mentors should contact Carol Anthony at itshowcase@bdpa-ny.org or via phone on (212) 802-5341.

Renetta English, President
BDPA New York Chapter
Phone: (212) 802-5341

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Grant Proposal: Dell Foundation (BDPA Middle Tennessee)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Middle Tennessee chapter submitted an online grant application to the Dell Foundation. We used their 'open grant' process to ask for $5,000 in order to continue the chapter's Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program in Davidson County. Our understanding is that we should have some type of answer from Dell Foundation by March 15, 2011.

Dell Foundation has a great program of matching gifts and volunteer grants. Does your organization have any Dell employees in it?

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Take Five: Tim Wilson (Boston Metrowest)

Originally Posted: 1/10/2010

Tim Wilson is a past president of BDPA Boston Metrowest chapter. I've worked with Tim for a number of years. He is a long-time business owner who serves as a role model for many BDPA members that are business owners and entrepreneurs.

Tim agreed to participate in our Take Five interview series:

How did you get involved in working with BDPA? - It was an accident. My close friend and I attended a meeting. We had never heard of BDPA and we just wanted to check it out because we felt it was time for us to become involved in something, as we had made good progress in our IT careers.

As we were driving to the meeting be both agreed that we would make a donation and that would be it, no involvement, just a small donation.

There was a very dynamic person there talking about BDPA ... her name was Diane Davis. She was very energetic and passionate about BDPA. As we left the meeting and I was driving back to my house, I turned to my friend and asked, “How did I become program chair? He said I don’t know I’m still figuring out how I got be entrepreneur chair.”

We both realized that this is an organization with potential and it was what we were looking for to meet our need to give back using technology.

What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? - I would have to say it was when the chapter sent its first team to compete in the High School Computer Competition. We were not sure we could pull it together. We had questions about funding - where we would find the students and how we would get them trained.

It would not have happened if it were not for the chapter members coming together. They supported the goal and volunteered their time and we had our first team. We didn’t win but the students we had gained some valuable experience and learned some great lessons about team work and got to see great group of African American professionals engaged in a field where there are so few of us in.

It was just great to see those young people come together the way they did.

Tim Wilson

Tell us about a defining moment in your life? - I have to say when wrote my first program and it worked. I was a computer operator learning how to program. I had managed to get some testing time to run my program.

When I put the card deck into the card reader and type in the commands to execute the program and saw the deck read in, I held my breath because I was hoping that once the program loaded it would not abort as it had done so many times before. Each time it would be for a simple keypunching mistake on my part.

Then, the console started typing and it was a command to mount a scratch tape, a command that I had coded in my program. My program was running. When I saw that tape spinning, I knew that my program was working. In addition, when the punch card reader started up and creating a set of cards (which was output) I was very excited to know that this was happening because I had written the code to make it happen. At that point, I knew I was a programmer. I knew what direction I wanted my career to take, and I began to pursue my career to become and application programmer.

Who is your hero and why? - My answer to this question is very, very personal to me. It is my late son Derek. We lost him in a car accident just two years ago. He was in the prime of his life. He had just gotten married and blessed my wife and me with our first grandchild and his sister with her only niece.

My reason for saying he is my hero is because he never gave up when he hit a roadblock. I remember in his first year of college his second semester grades were shall we say reflective of a student that was not paying attention to their academic requirements. After having a rather strong father son talk, he came to me with a plan of how he was going to get himself back on track. He did and even though he had graduated a year later than he was suppose to, he graduated from college with his degree in Economics with a minor in Sociology.

When he graduate he and a friend tried their hand in the music industry, and all I will say about that is it did not work out but he did not let that get him down. He found a job in sales and things started taking off for him. Derek always had a way of finding the answer when he was stuck. He would ask me for help but in the end, he always figured out what he needed to do. He told me his favorite quote was often misquoted Fredrick Douglas “Without struggle there can be no progress.” He would say, "Without struggle there is no success." There were certainly times he struggled but in the end, he was successful. I just pray I have the opportunity to let his daughter know what a great dad he was and would have been.

Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? - Just do it. You will not regret it.

Please share your COMMENTS on this interview from Tim. We all need to support brothers like Tim that give their time, talent and energy to BDPA. What say u?

Liz Claiborne Foundation

Established in 1981, the Liz Claiborne Foundation supports nonprofit organizations working with women to achieve economic independence by supporting multi-dimensional programs that offer essential job readiness training and increase access to tools that help women, including those affected by domestic violence, transition from poverty into successful independent living.

Liz Claiborne Inc.'s founders set up and endowed the Liz Claiborne Foundation to serve as the company's center for charitable activities for many years to come. The Liz Claiborne Foundation, a separate nonprofit legal entity, is the source of support for nonprofit organizations in the U.S. communities where Liz Claiborne Inc.'s primary offices are located. These include the five boroughs of New York City; Hudson County, New Jersey; and Los Angeles County, California.

In addition, a small portion of their grants may be directed to national organizations addressing a critical issue for women -- economic independence.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Grant Approval: Microsoft ($17,910)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) works each year to obtain any software needed by BDPA for its programs and services. One of our partners in this effort is Microsoft.

We work through the folks at Tech Soup to request software donations from Microsoft. We were pleased to learn that Microsoft approved $17,910 in software donations.

Their approval letter read as follows:

At Microsoft, we believe technology can do amazing things. That's why we partner with thousands of organizations like yours around the world to help each one achieve its mission. Through our Microsoft Unlimited Potential efforts, we provide technology tools, training, and resources that can help change people's lives and transform communities. Congratulations on being part of our global community!

Microsoft is pleased to support BDPA Education and Technology Foundation with a Microsoft software donation valued at $17,910.00. This letter includes a list of the products you requested and the estimated market value of your donation. Please print copies of this letter for your license and tax records.

In addition to this donation, we also offer other resources, tips, and tools to help you work more efficiently and effectively to achieve your mission. You can find these resources at http://www.microsoft.com/ngo. We have also created specific guidance on what to expect from a partnership with Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/nonprofittoolkit, including resources to help you communicate the benefits of our partnership and connect with other organizations.

If you want to learn more, have access to the latest news and resources, and continue to inform our work, please join our online community.

http://www.facebook.com/microsoftcitizenship

"Like" our page and engage in discussion

Tag the Microsoft Citizenship page in relevant posts

http://twitter.com/msftcitizenship

Mention @msftcitizenship in tweets

Stay up to date on the latest news and offers

http://www.microsoftupblog.com/

Read the latest stories about Microsoft Unlimited Potential

Comment and let us know your thoughts

For more information about Microsoft, our citizenship efforts, and investments in communities around the world, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/citizenship .

Sincerely,
Akhtar Badshah, Senior Director
Microsoft Community Affairs

Kudos to David Palmer, our BETF volunteer leader, for his efforts in bringing home this software donation. He was joined in this effort by volunteers in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus and Los Angeles. The software donated to BETF included Office Professional, Office Pro Plus 2007, Office Pro Plus 2010, Windows XP Pro Upgrade and Windows 7/XP/Vista Business.

This is a great news message that gets us off to a strong start for the new year!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Do Something Grants

Are you working to start a community action project or program? Do you need money to put your ideas into action? If you answered, "YES!", you are eligible to apply for a Do Something Seed Grant. There is a $500 Do Something Seed Grant every week to help young people just like those we have in BDPA! Do Something Seed Grants are targeted towards project ideas and programs that are just getting started. These grants can be used to jump-start your program or to realize your ideas for the first time. These are grants for all types of community action projects around causes that you care about and are important in your community! Deadlines: Rolling- Apply now! You will be notified whether or not you have won within 2-3 months after submission.

Did you create a sustainable community action project, program or organization that you want to grow? Are you looking for funding to take your already successful project to the next level? If you answered 'YES!', you are eligible to apply for a Do Something Growth Grant. These $500 Do Something Growth Grants are given out every week to help young people just like those we have in BDPA! Do Something Growth Grants are targeted towards projects that are already developed and sustainable. These grants go towards the next steps of your project and organization to help you as you look to expand your project and grow your impact. Deadlines: Rolling- Apply now! You will be notified whether or not you have won within 2-3 months after submission.

Blacks in Science and Technology

Tyrone Taborn, the publisher of Career Communications Group, served on the BDPA Board of Directors for a number of years. Tyrone uses the media to document the progress of African Americans in science, engineering and technology. His company created the following video that shares our legacy in these fields.

Soulclap to Black Digerati for bringing it to our attention. What are your thoughts about our legacy in the IT industry?

Sunday, January 9, 2011

The BDPA Insider - January 9, 2011

The BDPA Insider - January 9, 2011

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

In this issue:

Click here for the latest issue of "The BDPA Insider":

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/01/bdpa-insider-january-9-2011.html

Click here for "The BDPA Insider" Archives:

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

Gannett Foundation Community Action Grants

The Gannett Foundation supports local organizations in communities served by Gannett. Community Action Grant priorities include education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem-solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation and cultural enrichment.

The average grant amount is in the $1,000 to $5,000 range. Proposals should be submitted to the contact at the daily newspaper or television station in your area by February 16th or August 17th. Some locations have earlier deadlines, and they are listed in the Grant Contact list.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Message from Chicago Chapter President

Pamela Sexton

Greetings BDPA Chicago Chapter Family!

Best wishes to each of you and your families for an abundance of blessings and joy! As I reflect on our journey together, I realize that BDPA has been and remains a great source of support, opportunity and empowerment for so many of us. I am especially proud to stand with you in service at a time when our community needs the BDPA Chicago Chapter most. Corporations are beginning to hire and there is a need to locate top IT talent! There is so much work to be done, and as a volunteer organization, we look to our dedicated members, supporters and friends to help us not only continue our endeavors, but to exceed our goals.

Our annual Awards Banquet, which will be held on January 22, 2011, promises to be another memorable occasion, and I am looking forward to seeing all of you as well as new friends who will join us. This year we will shine the "spotlight” on our CEO & CIO champions who not only actively support our "from the Classroom to the Boardroom” mission, but who also visibly promote Information Technology as an enabler of business results!

BDPA Chicago Chapter, we have a really wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the committed leaders of our IT community and give personal thanks to our Corporate Sponsors. Please join me in full support of this event. I am asking my leadership team and the Corporate Advisory Council to make a personal commitment to contribute to the success of this annual event. Something as simple as a Facebook blast to friends will help us promote the annual Awards Banquet. Please give some thought as to how you, too, can be instrumental in support of the chapter. I would like to also thank you for being a difference maker and for your ongoing support of the BDPA Chicago Chapter!

Yours truly,
Pamela Sexton, president
BDPA Chicago Chapter

Where Wal-Mart Donated in 2010 (Washington DC)

Wal-Mart may have only recently announced plans to open stores in the District of Columbia, but the company's charitable foundation has been an active funder of Washington DC nonprofits for the past few years. Nationally, the company's foundation focuses on giving in four main areas: education, workforce development/economic opportunity, environmental sustainability and health and wellness.

The company and the foundation recently announced an additional focus on fighting hunger, with a pledge to spend $2 billion by 2015 to support hunger relief in America.

Read the rest of the Washington Post article.

Take Five: Dr. Reggie Gardner (Chicago)

Originally Posted: 1/7/2010

Dr. Reggie Gardner joined BDPA Chicago chapter in 1997. His volunteer efforts in the early years focused on corporate relations. He was active with the BDPA Chicago chapter Corporate Advisory Council (CAC), eventually serving as its co-chair in 2000. Reggie was a member of the Board of Directors for BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) in 1999-2000. He served as the conference director for the 2001 National BDPA Conference. He was elected to the presidency of the BDPA Chicago chapter in 2004-2005. He concluded his BDPA leadership as National BDPA VP-Member Services in 2006. Reggie currently is an executive with the D&C Charter Bus Company.

We asked Reggie to 'Take Five' with us:

How did you get involved in working with BDPA? My initial introduction to BDPA was through Mr. Joe Smialowski and Mr. Carver Johnson in the 1995-1996 timeframe. I served as an IT Manager at Sears under their leadership, and later received the opportunity to represent Sears as a BDPA Corporate "Champion."

What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? Unquestionably, the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA was meeting so many highly qualified and talented professionals throughout the country who aligned with the mission, goals, and objectives of the organization.

Tell us about a defining moment in your life? To date, a defining moment in my professional life is completing my doctoral degree and writing my first book on organizational leadership. I am encouraged (and impressed) that my book has received significantly more fanfare in Europe and India than here in the United States.

Who is your hero and why? My parents are my heroes and role models. They have always set a positive example and provided guidance, feedback, and support in all of my life's endeavors.

Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? BETF is a non-profit organization with sound integrity and solid leadership committed to providing financial tuition assistance to underprivileged students who aspire to academic degrees and professional careers in the Information Technology industry. I support the initiatives of BETF, and I encourage those who envision an increase in the amount of qualified technology professionals from underserved communities to support this foundation as well.

I encourage you to take a moment to share some BDPA-Love with Dr. Reggie in the Comments section below!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Webcast: Minorities in Cyber Security Symposium

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) invites you to watch the webcast of the Minorities in Cyber Security Symposium held at UDC on December 11, 2010.

Keynote Address

Rear Admiral (Select) Willie Metts
Director of Intelligence

United States Cyber Command

Why Cyber Security?

Moderator:
Zach Tudor
Program Manager

SRI

Panelists:
Devon Bryan
Deputy Associate CIO for Cyber Security

Internal Revenue Services

Perry Carter
Chapter President

BDPA Washington DC

Darryl Arnold
Lead Associate, Analytics

Booz Allen Hamilton

Diane Miller
Director, Operations Cybersececurity

Northrop Grumman

Global Champions of Cyber Security

Moderator:
Garland Thompson
Contributing Editor

Career Communications Group

Panelists:
Charles A. Williams
President

Intekras, Inc.

Bill Searcy
Chief, Enterprise Engineering Section

FBI

Cynthia Miller
Senior Adviser and Chief of Staff

Intelligence Community Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Office (ICEEOD)

Perry Carter

It was great to see BDPA chapter president Perry Carter engaged in this symposium. It is always good when BDPA provides IT thought leadership in these types of industry events.

I also like the way that the symposium leaders put their event on UStream. Are any BDPA chapters considering this as a way to document their program meetings for posterity?

Anyhow, what were your thoughts as you viewed this webcast?

Thursday, January 6, 2011

BDPA Cincinnati High School Computer Camp (2011)

BDPA Cincinnati chapter is recruiting 8th-12th grade students for its annual Computer Camp. The orientation takes place on January 22. The first session of the camp takes place at Cincinnati State on Saturday, January 29. The chapter hopes to have at least 24 students in the computer camp this year.

Here is a flyer with more details:

BDPA Cincinnati High School Computer Camp (2011)

View more documents from BDPA Foundation.

Call BDPA Cincinnati chapter on (513) 956-0636 or visit their Computer Camp website if you have questions or wish to discuss further.

BDPA Legacy: Marvin Walker (Chicago Chapter Founder)

BDPA Chicago chapter, founded in 1986, is the largest chapter in the nation. In fact, the chapter is one of the most honored in our history.

Did you ever wonder what was in the mind of those visionary brothers and sisters that dream of creating an organization like BDPA that advances the careers of African Americans in the IT industry from the classroom to the boardroom?

We have a chance to hear directly from one of those visionaries. Marvin Walker is the founder and first president of BDPA Chicago chapter. He was kind enough to share thoughts he wrote down in 2006 when his chapter was celebrating its 20-year anniversary. Take a moment to enjoy words of wisdom from Marvin Walker:

BDPA and Original Thoughts
While you may consider my associates and me as the founding members of BDPA Chicago chapter, and me as the founder, allow me, however, to set the record straight. I have come to know that, man has never had an original thought. All good, pure thoughts, like all good gifts, come from the one Mind, (God) to man, by grace. I much rather consider myself merely a conduit or custodian through which God’s gift, has come.

BDPA was a gift that came to me. However, in order for me to have it, I had to share it. So I did just that. I first shared it with those who became the founding / charter members of BDPA Chicago Chapter. We began sharing the gift of BDPA openly with others on April 18, 1986, at the Palmer House, and it has perpetuated itself since that time.

I don’t mind telling you that I spent many hours reading, researching and talking long distance to BDPA members in other cities and States. I also spent many prayerful days, before I decided to approach my friends with this idea. Needless to say, I had never attempted anything quite like this before. This undertaking was quite literally, a leap of faith.

Unlike a job, in which one receives remuneration for their efforts, this was something quite different. Since there would be no payment, per se, the results we all wanted were the successes, longevity and perpetuation of the gift, BDPA Chicago Chapter.

32 Years in Information Technology (IT)

The 32 years I spent IT (Jun 1970 thru Sep 2002) taught me many things. I spent many hours, days, weeks and months writing, debugging, modifying and implementing Assembler based (BAL) or Machine Language, PL1 and COBOL application programs and systems. Working through core dumps, gave me an appreciation for detail, and helped me identify where a particular problem occurred in the program or system. I gained a keen understanding of and for detail (although, the devil is in them). Working as a Database Administrator in IMS, IDMS and Oracle, in later years, helped me gain an understanding of the big
picture.

Life Parallels a Massive, Networked, Application System

What I learned in IT has served me well in life. Consider that life is like one massive, networked, application system. As in all massive networked systems, you may experience a core dump, ABEND or interrupt due to some problem, somewhere in this massive, networked, system (in life these interrupts manifest themselves as problems one must contend with or decisions one must make). When this happens, you have to identify what the problem is and where, correct it ASAP by making the necessary modifications to the sub-function or sub-program, and either continue or restart the process. Knowingly or unknowingly, this is what we all do in our lives, each day. Overall, the time I spent in IT, has served to make me a results oriented - problem-solver.

BDPA Chicago Chapter – An Historic Perspective

This being the 20 year anniversary of BDPA Chicago Chapter, 2006 has been quite a year for me, in terms of events. I became president of my Rotary Club --- Rotary Club of Chicago Southeast -- which is the first predominately African American Rotary Club. Unfortunately, for the first time since I became a member of BDPA, I was unable to attend the National Conference, due to my responsibility as Rotary president. Somehow, the impressive display and demonstration of talent by our High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Team, returned to my thoughts on Sunday morning, (the day after the banquet). It occurred to me that our students won the National HSCC championship. Upon confirming that this was in fact true, helped seal the deal on this banner year, in the history of our chapter.

From the historic first-ever BDPA three-peat winning of the Chapter of the Year award (1991, 1992, 1993) to the back-to-back HSCC wins and all the successes in between, and since, which have characterized the Chicago Chapter, you continue to make the founding members proud.

I took a moment to try and find a suitable quotation about gifts and giving, and found this one from Baltasar Gracian, a noted essayist who wrote, "The great art of giving consists in this… the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted, so that it may be the more highly appreciated."

I wish our friend and fellow founding member Hazel W. Beason-Payne – whom we lost in December, 2003 - could have been with us to share in this, our 20th Anniversary Celebration. We all became and continue to be very good friends. My fellow founding members and I say, thank you for accepting and embracing this gift… as much today, as yesterday. Thank you for preserving it… Thank you for cherishing it… Thank you for growing and perpetuating it… Thank you for continuing to give it to others. And lastly, thank you for giving it back to us in this way.

Marvin Walker, Founder & Past President
BDPA Chicago Chapter

I encourage all BETF-Blog readers to take a moment to POST A COMMENT to let Marvin know what you think about his message and his gift to the Chicago area. What say u?

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Call for Presenters: BDPA Webinars

Your career is enhanced when you are able to show your skills. One way to show your skills is to be a presenter at a workshop. These opportunities are available on a monthly basis at the program meetings hosted by local BDPA chapters around the nation. These opportunities are also available at the annual BDPA Technology Conference.

And now ... these opportunities are also available twice per quarter in the BDPA Webinar Series. National BDPA is seeking presenters for webinars that will be conducted via the Internet and conference call. I hope that our BETF-Blog readers will take a close look at this 'Call for Presenters'.

Call for Presenters: BDPA Webinars

View more documents from BDPA Foundation.

Are you interested? Do you know someone in your chapter that would benefit from this opportunity? What say u?

Where Are They Now? BDPA Chicago Chapter SITES History (1989-2008)

We have a strong commitment on the BDPA Foundation to find the money to grow the Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program around the nation. The odds increase as we develop a strong history of success in our efforts to impact on the lives of young people.

That is why I was very excited to learn that BDPA Chicago chapter is taking time to document the history of their SITES program from 1989 thru 2008. They created a webpage listing the students and volunteers in the chapter's SITES program over the years. [NOTE: The photo at the top of this post is the students in the 2005 Chicago SITES program].

I hope that other BDPA chapters will look upon this as a 'best practice'. How cool would it be to have some of our former SITES students or HSCC alumni back in 2011 as instructors, donors or chapter officers!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Message from Columbus Chapter President

Greetings BDPA Members,

BDPA is off to a new year and new beginnings as I step into the role of President for the next 2 years. I am excited and honored to lead the Columbus Chapter to higher heights, new initiatives and re-investment strategies into the BDPA members and community. I am committed to enhancing the BDPA brand and establishing a greater footprint in the community.

BDPA Columbus has made many great accomplishments, with Information Exchanges, HSCC and many other initiatives that make this chapter great. As the new President, I am calling on all BDPA members to join me in the continued efforts to make this the best BDPA Chapter. I not only need your support but your participation in the success of this organization. You have made an investment in BDPA because you believe it's efforts and success. I am asking for all of you to join me in making 2011 a very prosperous and effective year for BDPA; lets ensure a high ROI on your investments.

This year we all have lots of exciting work to do together; we will be enhancing our HSCC program, creating new corporate relationships, participating in community activities, building a large membership and implementing new programs and initiatives. I hope you are just as excited about this as I am.

BDPA Columbus is a great organization and will be a greater one in 2011.

Have a wonderful New Year!
Deborah E. Smedley, MIS
Chapter President
BDPA Columbus

Message from New Jersey Chapter President

Greetings and Happy New Year!

Goldie Bonney

2010 was yet another successful year for BDPA New Jersey Chapter. We continued in the tradition of providing great programs and events for our corporate sponsors and members. We had a great showing of over 300 participants for our Families in Technology Day (FIT) event (where we provided various workshops for participants and ended the day by raffling off over 100 refurbished laptops to students) and our Annual Awards & Recognition Banquet proved to be a great fundraiser for us as well as an amazing evening of celebration. One of our biggest accomplishments was gaining our 501c3 status thanks to our Immediate Past President Coram Rimes!

This year we look to continue to provide our marquee programs as well as create new programs and social events for our members, reintroduce our CIO Symposium and Corporate Advisory Council (CAC), and expand our SITES program to include additional students from all across the state of New Jersey. I am so proud of our students and I cannot wait to see how well they will do at this year's National Conference in Chicago!

As members of BDPA we are all committed under the mission of "Advancing Careers from the Classroom to the Boardroom". So what does this mean to you? To me it means never giving up on helping someone and encouraging them be the best they can possibly be. I challenge all of us to be the difference makers in our communities to do our part and make it happen. Its one thing to help a student get to college, but it's even more important to continue to foster their growth after graduation and beyond.

We have a great Board here in New Jersey (see above photo) and with their dedication and focus there is no doubt in my mind that we are poised and ready to take our chapter to the next level!

So in the true spirit of bringing in the New Year, I'd like to propose a toast...
Here is to making 2011 the BEST year EVER for BDPA! Cheers!

Warmest Regards,
Goldie K. Bonney, President
BDPA New Jersey

Message from Columbus Chapter Past President

Reggie Hillery

Happy New Year from the BDPA Columbus Chapter

We have finally reached the end of the year. This is a special time of year where we reflect on the highs and lows. It's also the time of the year where we start to reflect on the upcoming year. On that note, I'm excited because BDPA Columbus is about to move to new heights as a chapter. We are about to welcome a new era of leadership.

This is my last email newsletter as President of the Columbus chapter. I truly enjoyed serving as your President and helping shape the chapter into it's current form. My message for us is to "Look Forward". We sometimes have a tendency to look back on our accomplishment and defeats to own detriment. We hold ourselves back because we constantly look in the rear-view mirror of life and miss out on what's ahead of us.

Our accomplishments over the past 4 years has touched lives, changed mindsets and brought awareness to the various careers in IT. This manifest itself through our building and strengthening of the African American IT pipeline through the High School Computer program, mentoring college students and assisting IT professionals. We truly exhibit our motto "Advancing IT careers from the classroom to the boardroom".

Deborah Smedley

I look forward to the future of the organization. On the horizon I foresee exponential chapter growth, self-sufficient financial stability and impressive organization community awareness. I charge you to be a catalyst for change and growth in the organization and personal lives.

As I close my administration, I would like to say "THANK YOU" to our sponsors, members, chapter advisers and supporters. This journey has not ended, it has just begun. Let's keep looking forward and welcome the new President, Deborah Smedley and the new administration with open arms and support.

Thank you with love and happiness,
Reginald Hillery
Immediate Past President
BDPA Columbus Chapter

Monday, January 3, 2011

Pratt & Whitney Foundation

The employees at Pratt & Whitney employees generously volunteer their time and energy to make our local communities better places. They participate in many local projects and community efforts such as serving meals in homeless shelters, building houses for Habitat for Humanity, fund-raising for charities, acting as Big Brothers and Big Sisters and sponsoring annual food and clothing drives. To support and encourage their employees' community efforts, Pratt & Whitney proudly offers the following employee programs:

Volunteer Grant Program -- Regular, full-time employees may apply for a $250 grant for non-profit organizations to which they volunteer. To be eligible, an employee must be actively involved with the organization for at least one year and volunteer a minimum of 60 hours per calendar year. For more information on the Volunteer Grant Program, click here.
Community Power Grant Program -- A team of Pratt & Whitney volunteers, consisting of 5 to 15 people, chooses a local educational institution or non-profit human services organization in need of support. The Pratt & Whitney team and the non-profit partner then select a project that furthers the goals of the organization. Each team member must work on the project for a minimum of 15 hours over a two to six month period. Upon completion of the project, the partner organization receives a $2,500 grant from Pratt & Whitney.

Point of Contact:

Heather Summerer
Manager, Public Affairs
(860) 565-0557

Does your BDPA chapter have any members that work for Pratt & Whitney?

Grant Proposal: Delta Air Lines Foundation (BDPA Middle Tennessee)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Middle Tennessee chapter combined on a $3,000 grant proposal to the Delta Air Lines Foundation.

Our hope is that they will provide in-kind donation of airfare to get the chapter's high school computer competition team to/from the Nashville airport to the Chicago O'Hare airport for the national BDPA Technology Conference on August 3-6, 2011 in Chicago, IL.

We should have an answer from Delta by the end of the month. Wish us luck!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

The BDPA Insider - January 2, 2011

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

Happy New Year!!!

In this issue:

Soulclap to Milt Haynes for putting this weekly compilation together for us!

Flyer: BDPA Detroit HSCC Computer Camp (2011)

BDPA Detroit chapter is a traditional powerhouse in the annual national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships. One reason for their success is the comprehensive computer camp that they host each year. BDPA Detroit chapter is now recruiting students in grades 8-12 to participate in their 2011 High School Computer Camp. Here is a flyer with the details.

The chapter seeks to fully fund the BDPA Detroit HSCC Scholarship Fund as well. Please share this information with any of your colleagues who live in the metro Detroit area!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

United Water Foundation

The primary mission of the United Water Foundation is to encourage innovative programs in the areas of education, environment, and health and humanitarian services in communities around the United States. The Foundation upholds its mission and inspires and serves communities by supporting responsible investment in other nonprofit organizations meeting the needs of today’s society exclusively for charitable, educational, scientific, literary, health, environmental, and public safety purposes.