Message from Richmond Chapter Past President

BDPA Richmond is the 5th largest chapter in the nation. The chapter motto is 'Educate to Elevate'. I encourage other BDPA chapters to look to the brothers and sisters as role models when it comes to the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program development.

Past president Jackie Pryor shared her thoughts on our BDPA students:

---

Good morning BDPA family and friends.

I was one of the participants who interviewed students at the Richmond Technical Center on November 17th. It was a great learning experience. We were given a list of questions to ask the students and we were asked to rate the students on appropriate dress, appearance, grammar, completed documents (cover letter, resume, application), and how well or if they answered the questions. I'm sure you are not surprised as to what I saw. It's amazing how just signing the application was an issue for them, wearing the appropriate attire, and having all of their
references.

We have some very bright students who really want to do well in life. Some of these students have their stuff together. They had plan A, B, and C already set. Then there were other students who just aren't quite there yet. We are all professionals who have been where these students are and we made it to where we are today. They need our help whether they are the students with plans set for the future or students who just don't quite have it together yet. Either way, they need to see professional adults; minority professional adults; the professional they can become.

My request for you is when you see opportunities to volunteer to help our youth, please step up to the plate. It doesn't matter if you have just an hour to spare or a month, they need us to help guide them. That hour (or month) can be used to teach one of our HSCC classes that occurs every Saturday or to talk to one of our college chapters. Once you volunteer, you get hooked.

Thank you for listening and I look forward to seeing you volunteer in 2010. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Jackie Pryor, Immediate Past President
BDPA Richmond Chapter

---

What are your thoughts about volunteerism in BDPA? What are your thoughts on Jackie's message?

Vote for BETF in Chase Community Giving Initiative on Facebook

Chase is donating $5 million to local charities, and you help decide where it goes. It's as simple as search, vote, share.

I'm hopeful that all Facebook users that are reading this post will vote for BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.

And tell a friend!

Letter of Inquiry * IBM Community Grant

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Chicago chapter member Curtis Cade partnered an effort to obtain funding to support the chapter's annual education banquet. BETF submitted a letter of inquiry to the IBM community affairs leadership in Chicago under the company's IBM Community Grant program.

IBM volunteers must be working with an eligible community service organization for an average of eight hours per month for five consecutive months to be eligible for either a cash or equipment grant.

"Our new Community Grants program strengthens IBM On Demand Community by leveraging the full strength of IBM innovation and technology," said Stanley S. Litow, vice president of IBM Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs. "We fully expect that the volunteer efforts of our employees, combined with IBM Community Grants, has the potential to make a lasting impact on organizations that provide some of society's most important services."

We anticipate that we'll have an answer for our Chicago-based funding request in the very near future. However, you don't have to wait. If you believe in what BETF or BDPA Chicago chapter are doing then you are encouraged to make a secure online donation right away!

McDonald's Corporation Grant Program

The late McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, built his company on a foundation of ethical business conduct and involvement in our local communities. McDonald’s owner/operators and company-operated restaurants fulfill these vital commitments every day in many ways.

McDonald's Corporation Grants support eduction through nonprofit organizations on a national basis, particularly in areaswhere they operate. Contact your local McDonald's for their funding priorities and how to access them.

Program areas for these grants focus on: Adult literacy, arts, community
involvement, volunteerism, disabilities, general education, health, math, reading, science, environment and technology.

These grants are available in all 50 states. Call (630) 623-7048 if you questions about this funding source.

Amtrak Scholarships -- Deadline: 11/20/2009

Amtrak Scholarships -- Deadline: 11/20/2009

Please circulate IMMEDIATELY Amtrak Travel Scholarships for College Students.

Amtrak has partnered with the United Negro College Fund to provide travel scholarships, valued at $750 per student; to students attending targeted HBCUs across the country.

[Read More]

Callie Herd is Profiled in FedEx's Diversity Appeal

We are proud to see that one of our guest bloggers, Callie Herd (shown in the photo with BETF executive director Wayne Hicks), is featured in FedEx's Diversity Appeal for her passion as a volunteer.

Callie is a BDPA Memphis chapter member and her blog is focused like a laser on Planning and Preparing for College Scholarships, and Internships.

Charles Lafitte Foundation

The Charles Lafitte Foundation is a private family foundation founded in 1999 by Suzanne and Jeffrey Citron. The Foundation is committed to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement on the human condition by providing support to education, children's advocacy, medical research and the arts.

To fulfill this mission, the Foundation acts as grantmaker, innovator and volunteer for four main programs: Education, Children's Advocacy, Medical Research & Issues, and The Arts.

The Foundation has no deadlines or standard forms. They prefer concise, well-organized proposals. In no case should the body of the proposal exceed 10 double-spaced pages. The Foundation prefers proposals sent by e-mail. A brief letter of inquiry, rather than a fully developed proposal, is an advisable first step for an applicant, conserving his or her time and allowing for a preliminary response regarding the possibility of support. The Foundation will contact you if they desire a full proposal. Due to the large number of inquiries they are unable to respond to all requests.

If you have any questions regarding the process please contact Foundation president Jennifer Vertetis by email or mail (The Charles Lafitte Foundation c/o Jennifer Vertetis 29520 2nd Ave SW, Federal Way, WA 98023)

HSCC Testimonial: Emery Jordan (NW Indiana, 1993-1996)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) provides funding for the annual High School Computer Competition (HSCC). We do so in order to provide a positive alternative to the violence that we see in public schools around the nation. Our efforts support the training of over 800 students each year. Here is the testimonial from one of those impacted students -- HSCC alumni Emery Jordan, BDPA Northwest Indiana Chapter (1993-1996).

---

It’s really funny to think that I am writing a testimonial for an activity that I joined to get to go to a conference and hang out with people older than me. However, that is definitely the case. And while I thought that I was just going to get a free vacation, the memories, skills, and friendships that I made during my four years of competing have lasted me a life time.

My name is Emery Jordan. I was a member of the BDPA Northwest Indiana Computer Competition Team from 1993-1996. During that time, I served as a captain twice, and attended several conferences. I really got started in the computer competition because my dad was a trainer for the Chicago teams, before he started a chapter in Northwest Indiana.

For our chapter, we trained every Saturday morning at a nearby college campus. It was typical that we trained for a while, and then given homework to complete during the week. It was always interesting because most of the people on the team, when we started, had very little exposure to computer programming languages or concepts. So, there was a lot of time that we spent building our respective foundations to learn the necessary information to be successful.

The conferences were a ton of fun. First, you would get the opportunity to meet other people your age from all over the country. In addition, during my time on the teams, there were several fun events planned around the competitions during the conference. These times gave us a great opportunity to hang out and make friends away from the computer stuff. I actually made a couple of lifelong friends from my time on the team.

As for my career choices, my time on the team, as well as the skills I learned, led me to major in Computer Engineering in college. In addition, it helped me secure several internships for Fortune 500 companies during my collegiate career. I worked at such companies as MCI WorldCom (before the collapse), Fannie Mae, and Caterpillar, among others. After completing my Computer Science degree, I realized that computers were much more fun for me when they weren’t my job. Based upon this new revelation, I pursued and achieved a Master’s in Education, which I used to build a career in Higher Education. I am currently working at Indiana University – Bloomington helping to develop college students through their experiences living on campus. I still do a lot of stuff with computers, and have found that my skills – both technical and analytical – have been very useful in this career. Furthermore, I will be starting an MBA program here at Indiana University this fall. And the foundation for all of those skills came
from my time on the BDPA computer competition team.

---

BETF could do so much more with donor participation from you. Won't you help create opportunities, visions and memories for our students in 2010 and beyond? Click here to make a secure online donation today!

Get SMART, Get Paid, and Get Ahead

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories. Has your school had a SMART scholar yet?

The 2010 SMART Scholarship deadline is December 15, 2009. Apply here.

Our hope is that BDPA student members take full advantages of all related scholarships available to them in the coming weeks and months.

How to Use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to Extend Your Reach (St. Louis)

BDPA St. Louis chapter brought in David Strom, an acknowledged social network expert, as their guest speaker for the Oct 2009 program meeting. The topic was entitled, How to Use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to Extend Your Reach.

Here is the slideshow presentation:

How to use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to extend your reach

View more presentations from David Strom.

This blog is sharing slideshow presentations from program meetings all around the nation. We do so in the hopes that it brings together more BDPA members from various chapters into a virtual discussion about a wide range of topics. Please let us know if you approve of this idea.

There are 50 slides in this slideshow. Did you learn anything new from Mr. Strom's presentation?

Information Security for Small Business (Orlando)

BDPA Charlotte chapter president-elect Julius Clark was guest presenter for the October 2009 program meeting hosted by BDPA Orlando chapter. The topic of the presentation was Information Security for Small Business. Here is the presentation slideshow from that program meeting:

Information Security For Small Business

View more presentations from Pablo More.

Is this a topic being covered over the next few months by your chapter? What learnings did you get from reviewing this slideshow?

Letter of Inquiry * John & James Knight Foundation

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) partnered with BDPA Charlotte chapter to submit a letter of inquiry to the Knight Foundation. We asked them to fund $5,000 for the chapter's annual Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

As a national foundation with local roots, the Knight Foundation seeks opportunities that can transform both communities and journalism, and help them reach their highest potential. They believe nothing big happens without a big idea, nothing new without a new idea. In every project they fund, the idea comes first. Here are five basics components they will be looking for in our idea:

1. Discovery of the facts.
   
2. The vision to see what's possible.
   
3. The courage to push for change.
   
4. The know-how to get it done.
   
5. The tenacity that gets results.

We have been told that the review of our letter of inquiry should be complete by mid-January 2010. We will keep you informed on our progress.

Grant Recipient: BDPA Cincinnati ($591)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) approved a $591 grant request from BDPA Cincinnati chapter. The funds will be used to support the chapter's upcoming Education Banquet that recognizes the students that participated in this year's national high school computer competition. The chapter will be unveiling a scholarship named in honor of past Bemley scholar Brandon Berry.

Please call BETF on (513) 284-4968 or email us if you want to make a tax-deductible pledge in support of the restricted Cincinnati Chapter Fund.

Did you know that BETF has provided $177,080 in support of BDPA programs and services so far this year? Our high-powered directors are focused on raising funds necessary to support the Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program around the nation. Is your chapter taking full advantage of BETF as you make your 2010 plans?

Corporate Citizenship Remains Priority

Despite an economy that has eaten away at corporate profits, most U.S. companies are making no major changes to their corporate-citizenship efforts, says a new report from Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and the Hitachi Foundation. [SOURCE]

Among the minority that say they will change their practices, almost four in 10 plan to reduce their giving, over a quarter plan layoffs and two in 10 will reduce spending on research and development for sustainable products.

Most of the 756 executives surveyed for the report say the corporate sector should be more involved in addressing major societal issues, with almost two in three saying businesses should step up their involvement in the health-care debate.

Seven in 10 companies say the driver behind their corporate-citizenship involvement is boosting their reputation, with an equal number saying it fits their corporate culture and values.

"This survey shows that business leaders understand that corporate citizenship entails great responsibilities as well as extensive rights," Barbara Dyer, president and CEO of the Hitachi Foundation.

Large companies are more likely to maintain their corporate-citizenship efforts during the recession than their smaller counterparts, but large companies are more likely to lay off staff than smaller companies.

What is happening with your corporate employer as it relates to being a good corporate citizenship from a BDPA perspective?

Nonprofits' Budgets Down; Needs Up

Local nonprofits are unimpressed by economists' prognostications that the recession is ending.

Donations are falling, and agencies are looking for creative ways to find new donors and dollars. If they don't succeed, half think they will have to cut services when people are needing it most. Seventy percent of them reported requests for help are up in a recent poll by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, while 61 percent said donations were down.

In the economic scramble, many nonprofits are seeking new ways to raise money, such as through Web sites and electronic social networking, and they are trying to find more grassroots donors to give small amounts.

Click here to read the rest of this Atlanta Journal-Constitution article.

Message from Cleveland Chapter President

BDPA Cleveland is the 20th largest chapter in the nation. The president of this northern Ohio chapter is Ken Wilson (shown in photo with Cleveland chapter founder Norman Mays). I've known Ken for 20 years. He served as the chapter president back in the early 1990s as well. In fact, Ken probably holds the world record for most years between service as chapter president. Ken shared the following message with his chapter stakeholders:

---

Dear BDPA Members & Friends:

For a while now we have sought ways to rejuvenate our Cleveland Chapter by doing new and exciting things. A while ago, we announced the initiation of a “technology peace corps” type initiative called the BDPA Information Technology Corps (IT Corps) which is intended to address community development by applying our members and students’ computer skills throughout the year on short projects. We have an opportunity to start that process in earnest now.

I first need your participation in a special recognition event to honor our students that participated in this year’s Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program and High School Computer Competition (HSCC). The event will be on November 17th at John Carroll University, at 6:00 P.M.

To attend this event, we additionally invited civic leaders, business persons, and parents to explore two simple questions in a brief panel discussion: What are the pressing issues in our Greater Cleveland communities that impede the growth of this area? Do you foresee a role for computer technology to address these priorities?

The most important contribution we are asking for is candid input on development priorities so that we can get the IT Corps rolling relevantly. Our youth teams will be using this information to shape projects that they will undertake here in Cleveland and later on internationally. For example, next year, the BDPA IT Corps has been invited to Nairobi, Kenya to extend the same format of inquiry and community development in our first international mission.
I would appreciate that you attend and send a confirmation email. The recognition ceremony and panel discussion will take place on the John Carroll University campus, University Heights, Ohio, 44118, in the Dolan Center for Science & Technology, Room A202 & 203, on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, at 6:00 P.M. Light refreshments will be served. The program will begin promptly at 6:30 and will last 90 minutes. We would appreciate that you confirm your intentions to attend by sending a confirmation email to rsvp@bdpa-cleveland.org, or calling (216) 773-0700 and leaving a voice-message, or sending a text-message to this same number, at your earliest convenience.

We will have parents and their students there being honored that evening. It would be great for us to show up in force to show we truly appreciate them and their continuing interest in BDPA and our Chapter. Also, this event is our very best opportunity to put our information exchange back on track. I hope I can count on you to be there. Please RSVP.

Sincerely,
Kenneth L. Wilson, President
BDPA Cleveland Chapter

---

I hope that BDPA Cleveland chapter has a large turnout for the event on November 17. If you cannot be there in person ... but, you want to show your support for the chapter's youth education programs --- please consider leaving a COMMENT below with a pledge for the BDPA Cleveland chapter fund maintained by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF). The funds will be restricted for use in the Cleveland area. What say u?

Message from Los Angeles Chapter President

BDPA Los Angeles is the 12th largest chapter in the nation. They recently created a Facebook Cause in order to reach out for support in that popular social network. We are pleased to share this month's message from BDPA Los Angeles chapter president John Malonson with his chapter's stakeholders:

---

Greetings BDPA LA family,

I'd like you to take a moment and think about all of the professional skills and abilities that you personally have to offer...

Done?

When was the last time you shared these talents outside of the workplace?

Each year, BDPA Los Angeles helps 15-25 students improve math, computer science and information technology skills through the High School Computer Competition program. Our vision is to increase academic excellence by taking our students from "The Classroom to the Boardroom."

Every year for the past twenty years, BDPA Los Angeles sends its five top students to represent the LA chapter at the annual National BDPA Technology Conferences across the nation.

Our High School Computer Competition Program (HSCC) curriculum includes:

• Relational Database Management & Design (MySQL)
• Web Application Development (HTML, CSS, PHP)
• Computer Science 101 (Software & Hardware)
• Analytically Solving Real-World Business Cases
• The Art of Presenting
• Time Management
• Team Dynamics and the Importance of Team Work

Help us combat disinterest in Math & Science by supporting our cause. Our organization is entirely volunteer based and relies on the continued support of our members and partners.

Whether it's working on behalf of shaping our future young leaders or educating your peers in new technology, BDPA Los Angeles provides a variety of opportunities for you to give back to your community. If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at our next event!

- John Malonson, president
BDPA Los Angeles chapter
president@bdpala.org

---

What are your thoughts about John's message this month? Is your chapter president engaging in this type of open dialogue on monthly basis as well?

Message from Cincinnati Chapter Past President

Frank Hill served as president of BDPA Cincinnati chapter in 2006-2007. The chapter won national Chapter of the Year in his first year and runner-up for Chapter of the Year in his second year. Also, the chapter earned awards for both chapter management and professional service during those same two years.

Frank took some time to share his thoughts yesterday to BDPA Cincinnati stakeholders. I'm passing along those thoughts to a larger audience:

---

Good morning BDPAer's,

It's Saturday morning and I'm grading assignments for a class that I'm teaching. The title of the assignment that I'm grading now is "The Time of Your Life." The student chose this title, however,

It provided inspiration to me share this email. It got me thinking about the inspirational side of teaching. During the current recession many people are re-tooling and learning new skills and this is a great time for this to happen. At the same time, the demand for folks to teach and coach is up.

The thought that I would like for you to consider is whether you can gain as much or more from teaching a class as attending classes. I was personally in this position about 10 years ago. I was talking to a friend about re-tooling and what would be the best way to accomplish this. I had signed-up for classes at one of the training centers in town and my friend who had known me for a long time said something to me that I had not considered. He knew my background and told me that I should be teaching some of the classes that I had signed-up for. Although this did not sound rational at the time, the thought stuck with me.

Less than a year later, opportunity knocked, as it does from time-to-time. One of the instructors at a local college had an emergency hospital stay. I was asked to fill-in for him. I filled-in to teach a web programming class and as the saying goes, "the rest is history" I have been teaching computer related courses to BDPA student and local college students since that day. I am now, also engaged in the web development business. My business and my professional growth have been greatly enhanced by the teaching experienced.

Opportunity knocks; BDPA has an objective of advancing careers and upgrading technical skills in the community. BDPA Cincinnati also has a $121,000 software grant from Microsoft as well as facility support from local sponsors.

The chapter has the where-with-all to do a great deal of training, the chapter need some of you to decide whether you can benefit from a teaching experience. If you are inclined to embark on this journey and have "The Time of Your Life", drop me a line.

Have a great morning!
Frank Hill, past president
BDPA Cincinnati chapter

---

Are you going to take Frank up on his offer?

Women in IT: The Facts

Women in IT: The Facts, sponsored by National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), brings together the latest findings from recent research on technical women.

This report gives you:

• A "coherent story" about the current state of affairs for technical women, synthesizing the best available data into one, easy-to-access resource


• An overall summary of the key barriers to women's participation in technology AND promising practices for addressing these barriers


• A benchmark for measuring the effects of national industry efforts to increase women's participation


• Data and tools that support your organization's change efforts

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, Nov 2009)

Has anyone noticed that BDPA membership numbers are dropping? We have less members than at any time since October 2007. There is a great deal of pressure on the incoming BDPA administration to raise morale and engage the membership in a way that allows BDPA to flourish again. We can ill-afford another two years as rough as we've experienced in 2008-2009.

The 45 BDPA chapters in BDPA-nation average 49 members (down one from last month).

There is plenty of good news in the membership numbers. First, someone needs to uncover the magic potion that is being used to grown membership in Raleigh, NC. BDPA Triangle chapter (president, Rick Leggett) has grown for the past nine (9) months in a row culminating with a new chapter membership record high (206) this month ... breaking their previous high of 195 (Oct 2009). I am going to see if Rick would be willing to share some of this thoughts on membership growth on our blog this month.

BDPA Cincinnati (president, Janice Lee) and BDPA Dallas (president, Kimberly Vaughn) each rose one spot in the rankings over the past month. BDPA Cincinnati chapter hasn't been ranked this high since April 2009. BDPA Dallas chapter hasn't been ranked this high since July 2009. BDPA Washington DC (president, Perry Carter) dropped down to 9th place, its lowest ranking since August 2007.

Finally, we celebrate the fact that BDPA Chicago (president, Rhonda Boyd) maintains its place as the largest chapter in the nation for the 31st month in a row!

The top ten chapters in terms of membership as of 11/1/2009 are:

1. Chicago - (chapter president shown in photo)


2. Triangle - (all-time chapter record high, 206 members)


3. Philadelphia


4. Atlanta


5. Richmond


6. Detroit


7. Cincinnati - (jumped one place this month)


8. Dallas - (jumped one place this month)


9. Washington DC - (dropped two places this month)


10. New Jersey

The first five (5) chapters on this list are in the BDPA Century Club with at least 100 members. BDPA Chicago chapter tops the list with 477 members!

BDPA Education & Technology Foundation provided over $175,000 in funding this year to support the programs and services carried out by these chapters at local level. Our hope is that you will consider making a donation to BETF this year. You can securely donate online or you can give BETF a call on (513) 284-4968 to discuss your pledge offline.

What are your thoughts on the benefits of membership in BDPA?