Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, Aug 2009)

There are 51 BDPA chapters in the nation. Each chapter averages 45 members (down 6 from last month).

Congratulations to BDPA Triangle chapter (president, Rick Leggett) for setting a new chapter membership record high (181) this month ... breaking their previous high of 168 (July 2009). The chapter became the 2nd-largest in the nation for the first time in its history. I will be in Raleigh NC this week for the 2009 national conference. Perhaps we will learn some tips and 'best practices' that can help other chapters grow their membership as Rick and his team have done in Raleigh/Durham area.

We also congratulate BDPA Cincinnati chapter (president, Janice Lee) for breaking back into the Top 10 this month after being dropped out of it in July 2009.

BDPA New Jersey fell out of the Top Ten this month.

The top ten chapters in terms of membership as of 8/1/2009 are:

1. Chicago
2. Triangle - (all-time chapter record high, 181 members)
3. Philadelphia - (dropped 1 place this month)
4. Atlanta
5. Detroit - (jumped 1 place this month)
6. Richmond - (jumped 1 place this month)
7. Dallas - (jumped 1 place this month)
8. Cincinnati - (jumped 3 places this month)
9. Washington DC - (dropped 4 places this month)
10. New York - (dropped 1 place this month)

The first six (6) chapters on this list are in the BDPA Century Club with at least 100 members. BDPA Chicago chapter tops the list with 504 members!

BDPA Education & Technology Foundation provides funding 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 say u?

BDPA Hall of Fame Member #1: Earl Pace (Philadelphia)

BETF-Blog is proud to announce the inaugural member of the mythical BDPA Hall of Fame ... Earl A. Pace Jr! BDPA existed in the mind of Earl Pace before it became a reality. Earl worked with David Wimberly and others to turn their vision into a reality.

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Earl A. Pace Jr. has been in the Information Technology industry since 1965. He began as a computer programmer trainee at the Pennsylvania Railroad. He left the PRR in 1967.

Over the next ten years he rose through the ranks of programmer, programmer analyst, programming manager to Vice President of a financial telecommunications company in Philadelphia, PA.

He became a business owner in 1976 when he incorporated Pace Data Systems for which he is still president. Pace Data Systems is a full service Information Technology firm providing services through its Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC offices primarily to Banks and Savings Banks.

In 1975 he co-founded Black Data Processing Associates in Philadelphia and operated as its president for two years, In 1978 he coordinated the formation of BDPA into a national organization and functioned as its First National President until 1980. BDPA has grown into the largest national professional organization representing minorities in the IT industry.

Within BDPA and on a broader national scale, Earl Pace has been a vocal advocate for business ownership. His primary message since starting BDPA has been that minorities should strive to rise above just a job to Board of Director’s membership and beyond that to owning and operating their own businesses.

Earl Pace continues to be very active in the business and education community in Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. As well as other cities in which he has business interests that enable him to be present regularly.

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Please use the COMMENTS section below to share your thoughts, memories or insights about Earl Pace.

Grant Award: IBM ($1,000)

We are very pleased to report that IBM sent BETF a $1,000 corporate community cash grant on behalf of Paulette Johnson-Davis for her hours of volunteer service.

The grant will be placed in the restricted Greater Columbia chapter fund to be used for their high school technology training program.

The IBM Corporate Community Cash Grant is a remarkable funding opportunity for any BDPA chapter with IBM employees or retirees in its membership.

Does your chapter have any IBMers in it?

Monthly $10,000 Scholarships For Minority and Female Students

DiversityScholarships.com is giving away a $10,000 scholarship in July, August and September 2009 -- to a high school or college student who is 18 years of age or older. The scholarship award can be used to pay for tuition, books, housing, and more. To apply, students simply have to register online, view free information from sponsor colleges and universities, and then confirm their registration.

Applicants must have at least one parent that is an African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, or Native American. Female students of all ethnicities are also eligible. In addition, applicants must be permanent residents of the United States, and must be planning to attend or are already enrolled in a college, university, or trade school.

At the end of the month, one random winner is selected from a drawing and the scholarship monies are paid in one lump sum directly to the winner upon verification. Typically, the drawing date is around the 30th or the 31st of the month.

The organization behind the web site that provides the scholarship funds is on a mission to help as many minority and female students as possible by offsetting their disadvantaged situation. A recent USA Today article revealed that minority enrollment in college lags disproportionately because of the lack of resources and financial aid being made available.

Amefika Geuka: Walking 1,000 Miles for African-Centered Education

Often we talk about the importance of education for our young people. For too many of us ... it is just talk. Here is the story of Amefika Geuka, a man who is willing to walk the walk. In fact, he is walking 1,000 miles from his home in Florida to Washington DC to raise awareness about the miseducation that children of African-descent get in our public education system.

“We feel the way to change that is to put a focus on education of those children being educated from their own perspective,” explains Geuka.

Which is why he and two others founded the Joseph Littles - Nguzo Saba Charter School in Florida.

“The public education system in America no matter how well intended it may be, it actually demoralizes black children and black people because it dismisses for the most part that people of African descent have ever contributed anything of any significance to the forward flow of civilization.”

Bro. Geuka documented his thoughts on African-centered Education a few years ago when he delivered a black paper at the University of Cincinnati. Geuka says once he arrives in Washington D.C. he plans on holding a rally and also reading a proclamation for African Centered Education Elevation Day.

NOTE: I appreciate the efforts of anyone ... including Amefika Geuka ... when it comes to turning around the abismyl results of our public education system. I encouage BETF-Blog readers to learn more about his travels and his school. I'm going to follow his progress via Twitter as well.

What are your thoughts on African-centered education (in general) or this man's walkathon (in particular)? What say u?

Civil Rights to Cyber Rights: Broadband and Digital Equality in the Age of Obama

I met Dr. Jabari Simama during the 4th Annual Community Technology Summit hosted by the City of Atlanta in March 2004. Martin Luther King III and I were on a panel together at that technology summit. The entire event was the brainchild of Dr. Simama in his role as executive director of the mayor's Office of Community Technology.

As such, I look forward to reading Dr. Simama's new book, 'From Civil Rights to Cyber Rights' when it is published later this year.

The title of the book is on target according to Dr. Simama, "... not because cyberspace has made racial struggles obsolete but because those without cyber skills will be superfluous in the American political economy, not to mention in the global world. Unless we bring access to and literacy of digital technology to all Americans, we are heading toward a society and world of information haves and have-nots. Technology involves using computers, broadband and other new media to bridge the education gap, the workforce skills gap, and the economic gap."

Simama calls the new broadband, People Technology. He writes:

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"People Technology . . . relates to the use of broadband, wireless, and other digital technology as tools to empower, build, and connect people and communities. It concerns using technology to extend and make meaningful the First Amendment and to provide a voice to the invisible people Ralph Ellison wrote about 60 years ago in his seminal book, The Invisible Man . . . . Thus, broadband (and its implications for people technology) is not so much about the technology, as much as it is about how technology can be, and to some extent, is being used to improve individual lives and society as a whole."

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I've openly wondered whether or not BDPA is going to accept the challenges set by Barack Obama when it comes to education. I figure that this book goes hand-in-hand with Obama's effort to end the digital divide. I encourage all BETF-Blog readers to read this book as our nation considers his $7 billion broadband stimulus price tag to bridge the divide between the served and underserved.

Anyhow, you can click here to send email asking for notification about the book's availability.

More Wealthy Americans Donating Through Foundations

BETF Directors Tayo Ibikunle and John Eckenrode are leading an effort to increase the flow of donations from high net-worth individuals into our SITES Endowment Fund. We were intriqued by an article written by Bradenton Herald's Grace Gagliano about the charitable giving of wealthy Americans. Here is an excerpt:

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The charitable giving of wealthy Americans like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates has called attention to philanthropy as a way to give back to the community while you are still living. Instead of leaving behind large estates that are taxed heavily before distributed, the wealthy can give through charitable organizations and protect their portfolios from government taxes.

Read full text.

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What would it take for you to give back to BDPA through our SITES Endowment Fund?

2008: Giving Dropped $6.4 Billion; Largest Decline On Record

by Mark Hrywna

Overall giving in the United States declined last year by 2 percent, the largest drop since records have been kept and the first since 1987. Giving by individuals again made up about three-quarters of all giving but declines in foundation endowments and grantmaking might make for an even more challenging environment for next year’s report.

Community foundations, in particular, have been hit hard, first because of the declining value of their endowments, but also the lack of additional or new gifts because of the economy. The biggest impact on family foundations, meanwhile, depends on the size and commitments they have. There’s been some evidence in the last year that smaller family foundations have chosen to convert to a donor-advised fund within a community foundation. Other larger foundations have decided to go into their endowments to maintain their grantmaking.

Read the full article here.

Social Networking and BDPA Members

by Guest Blogger: Monique Berry

I believe that social media is a meaningful trend. Even eBay and Netflix have jumped on the social bandwagon, allowing users to create social media profiles within their accounts. It probably won't be too long before every site has some sort of social media or networking aspect built into it.

Here are available areas in this space where the foundation could benefit.

1. Branding Opportunities
Secure the brand on social media sites - and protecting the brand before someone else beats you to it? This is especially important with respect to user names and unique URLs. This will help to have better control over the first three pages of search results for the unique name. It also may help users of specific social media sites to find BDPA if they are actually looking for your brand.

2. Build Link Popularity
Websites essentially need three things if they are to experience good visibility in the search engines - 1.) good content, 2.) good SEO and 3.) good links. Link back to the original web site within the social media sites you set up. You can also include a blurb about the organization and in many cases, add a link or links to your sites. Once you get these various social media profiles indexed, they will count as inbound links to your main site. You can even include specific anchor text related to keyword phrases you wish to target and point them to pages that have been optimized for those same terms. The bottom line is that social media profiles create opportunities for natural links and they're free!

3. Attracting Traffic
Social media and networking sites can send to drive additional traffic to the web site.

4. Interaction With the Public
The reason why it is called "social" is because it allows web users to socialize or interact with each other. Having the ability to take advantage of social media to bring further attention to products, services, and news or even put a personal face on the organization.

5. Networking Opportunities
A final reason how you can benefit from social media is the networking opportunities. Many social networking mediums offer opportunities to join specific groups of interest where you can then interact with like-minded people. Facebook is a great example of this - not only can you join groups, you can create new ones, add events and even build interactive applications that run within the Facebook environment.

For me, many of the social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others, have allowed me to develop numerous relationships which are not only beneficial in my role President of BDPA Philadelphia Chapter, but especially rewarding when attending industry conferences. The conference becomes more like a family reunion than a boring, uninvolved trade show.

Charity Begins Online

Has the recession transformed us into a bunch of hardened, miserly skinflints? Or are we as benevolent and big-hearted as ever? Mary Portas, a retail adviser and presenter of the TV series Mary Queen of Charity Shops, claims that "our cultural G-spot has moved; it used to be greed, but now it's giving," while Naomi Levine, director of the NYU Center for Philanthropy, believes that young people are increasingly willing to donate their time or money to charitable causes.

But a recent study shows that two-thirds of us will go out of our way to avoid charity workers, and an even greater proportion of us will lie to them – either claiming that we've got no spare change, or that we've already given money to their colleague 20 yards down the road.

How can fundraisers boost their dwindling donations? The savviest organizations are fighting back with blogs, viral videos and interactive billboards. Rhodri Marsden reports on how giving's going digital.

Read the full article here.

HSCC Testimonial: Jessica Tipton (Atlanta)

We have some pretty remarkable young people in our annual high school computer competition. I fully expect that many of these students will shake up the world as they get older and progress through their careers. One young woman on her way to stardom is Jessica Tipton. Jessica was a member of the HSCC team trained by BDPA Atlanta chapter in 2002 and 2004. She shared the following testimonial with us recently:

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“The average person lives to be about 70 years old; what you do with the first 20 years of your life, determine if you will spend the rest of your life paying the price of reaping the benefits you have sown.” -Ben Carson

Now that I have reached age 22, I can definitely see the benefits of the seeds that I have sown. I am a recent graduate of Georgia State University majoring in Journalism, having worked at FOX 5 Atlanta, since 2004 and now at CBS Station Sales in New York. In addition, I am a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the reigning homecoming queen for Georgia State University. I have had many blessings in my life, but they did not come easily.

Born February 6, 1987, in Atlanta, Ga. my parents took care of all my household needs. With the combined efforts of my maternal and paternal grandparents, neither my siblings nor I wanted for anything. My paternal grandparents made sure that we were on top of our education seizing any opportunities that came our way. This is why when I heard about the BDPA HSCC program, I was willing to make the sacrifice of sleeping in on Saturdays to take advantage of the opportunity.

There were many times when I think of all the parties that I missed, or all the fun I could have had during high school, but I could not do anything that Friday night because of the HSCC classes on Saturday. Those sacrifices helped to keep me out of many situations that would have prohibited personal growth in the end. The classes helped to keep me focused. Not only did I learn the basics of web programming, but also I learned the importance of teamwork and giving back to the community through my HSCC instructors. Never have I seen a group of individuals up close and personal dedicated to the uplifting of the black community. I thought it was just something of the past, or something to watch on television, but my HSCC instructors helped to make it a reality.

My team went on to compete nationally landing the Atlanta Chapter second place in the 2002 competition. As I started debating in high school, I realized I had a passion for public speaking. That is when I became the project manager for the HSCC team, allowing me to capitalize on my public speaking capabilities.

That was the jumpstart to a career in journalism. Though I am not working directly in the IT industry, the skill set that I received from BDPA helped me to develop teamwork, project management and development skills that is necessary in any career path. BDPA planted seeds in my life, nurtured over the years through the many mentors that I have come across, that allow me to reap the benefits today.
Currently, employers are impressed with my ability to fuse media and technology to keep up with the pace of the industry, skills that would have never developed had I not been apart of the BDPA HSCC program.

“Feed a man to fish, he’s fed for a day; teach a man to fish, he’s fed for a lifetime.”

Thank you BDPA for teaching me to fish!

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Our foundation seeks to increase the number of students that receive Bemley Scholarships in 2009 and beyond. To do so, we need your help. Please consider making an online donation to help us interest young people in science and technology.

Very few of you leave COMMENTS on these testimonials. Please take a moment to respond to this one. Let Jessica and the other HSCC alumni know what you think about their efforts.

Message from New York Chapter President

BDPA New York is the 9th largest chapter in the nation. One reason for the growth and success of this chapter is the open communication style of its leader, Judaea Lane.

Here is the July 2009 message from Judaea to her chapter stakeholders:

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Dear BDPA Members and Supporters,

Recently our chapter's Executive Board went to Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem to have our monthly Board meeting. Listed below are highlights from each committee:

Community Outreach - Education

• Our SITES program had a wonderful time at Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference. The High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Team came in 3rd Place and the IT Showcase Team came in 2nd Place. Everyone is now gearing up for the National Conference which is taking place in Raleigh, North Carolina.
• Kudos to UBS Financial Services, for hiring two SITES students for summer internships at their Stamford, CT location.
• Lastly, this committee is asking members and supporters to stop by in Brooklyn on Saturday, July 25th from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon to visit with our SITES team. The location is 257 Macon Avenue (between Tompkins and Throop Avenues). The goal will be for members to not only show BDPA love to our SITES students, but to share business and technical knowledge with them. The skills will be utilized by SITES students at the National conference. SITES students interning at UBS will also share their experiences. If you are interested, please RSVP via email to hr@bdpa-ny.org.

Communication

• The summer edition of Humanware is available. At your leisure, download your copy and to read about the exciting activities going on in our chapter.
• Our website contains exciting information such as our next Program meeting and other upcoming events. Also please encourage our youth to check out the students page, where we post the latest scholarship and internship information.
• Lastly, check out the kudos on our webpage to our Sponsor of the Year, UBS Financial Services and our HSCC/SITES students.

Membership Management & Services

• This committee is working vigorously to recruit members. If your membership has expired then you should have received a postcard reminding you to renew your membership.
• Save the Date family as we will have our Annual Membership Drive & Summer IT Mixer on Saturday, August 22th. This event 'BBQ@BDPA' is our way to say thanks to our members and supporters for their phenomenal support. So put on your shorts, bring your cards or dominos and come out relax and have a good time. Yours truly is making “Jerk Burgers”. Additional information will be provided shortly.

BDPA Members on the Move

• BDPA Member Eric Hamilton has an exciting opportunity for our members. The Web Academy offers FREE web design courses and FREE web development services to the community. 100% of the course work is distance learning taught by live instructors in real time. In exchange for offering FREE web classes, members are required to take on at least 3 web development projects of their choosing. Working on these real life web projects with real web clients gives members actual work experience in the web industry. If you are interested, please send an email to hr@bdpa-ny.org or info@thewebacademy.org.
• Happy Birthday to all June and July BDPA Members.

Fundraiser/Finance - Please mark your calendar to join us Thursday, December 10 for our Annual Holiday Networking Event. Several venues in Manhattan have been identified and the fundraising committee has excellent ideas for what will be a memorable event.

National BDPA Election - BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Monique Berry is candidate for BDPA National President Elect. She wants to hear from you. Please join her on Facebook or send her an mailto:president@bdpaphilly.org to share your thoughts on the following:

1. What do you expect from our organization
2. What do you value most
3. How can BDPA meet your highest expectation
4. What action do you think will help us move toward our vision for 2010

Sincerely yours,
Judaea Yarde Lane, President
BDPA New York
(212) 802-5341

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NOTE: Our BETF-Blog is willing to provide this space for any of the 51 chapter presidents to share their message. What are your thoughts on Judaea's message this month?

Companies Can Contribute Skills, If Not Cash, to Nonprofits in Recession

In the world of corporate philanthropy, cash has long been king. However, at a time when charitable cash contributions are being squeezed, when 76 percent of corporate donors acknowledge they must adjust their giving strategies, and when there is renewed emphasis on volunteerism, this one-track "show me the money" approach is untenable.

It's time to expand the traditional definition of corporate giving, to encompass what many business leaders consider their most valuable asset: the skills of their employees.

According to the 2009 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, 95 percent of nonprofits need more skilled volunteer support. And while 78 percent of corporations agree their employees' skills would be valuable to nonprofit organizations, only 50 percent offer skilled support.

The need for cash, of course, is legitimate and undeniable. However, with corporate donations on the decline, the need to hasten the adoption of skilled volunteering as a complementary giving strategy has never been more urgent. Consider this: Nearly 40 percent of nonprofits will spend upward of $50,000 for outside business consultants in 2009. If they secured skilled volunteering support instead, they could free up those funds for other uses. That's the beauty of skilled services; the money goes further.

Read the rest of the article.

Charitable Giving at Major Corporations

Many of the largest American companies plan to decrease their charitable donations in 2009, or at least keep them level with last year's, according to the latest Chronicle survey of corporate giving.

• Table: Companies That Have Increased Giving to Hard-Hit Charities Due to the Recession
  
• Table: The Chronicle's Annual Corporate-Giving Survey: By the Numbers
  
• Table: Companies That Made 50% or More of Their Gifts in Products
  
• Table: Companies That Gave More Than $10-Million to Charities Outside the United States

Read the full article here.

Business Compute-N-Show: Finding Free Applications and Utilities on the Internet (Video)

April Jackson, Desktop Support Specialist and BDPA Memphis member, is interviewed on the Business Compute-N-Show by host Nancy Ford in Memphis, TN. This show originally aired in January 2009.



What is your favorite FREE application or utility?

2009 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology

National BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com, the source for diversity talent, announced Allstate Insurance, American Airlines, Compuware, Eli Lilly and Company, Health Care Service Corporation, Merck and Company, Monsanto, State Farm Insurance, SunTrust Bank, Wal-Mart Stores, and WellPoint as the winners of the 2009 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology Award.

"These companies deserve special recognition for their outstanding community outreach and diversity recruiting programs and for promoting a significant number of African Americans into their IT management ranks," said Milt Haynes, National BDPA Past President. "One of these companies will be announced as the Top Company for Blacks in Technology and receive the much coveted Epsilon Award."

The Epsilon Award is presented annually to the top company in the nation that promotes a workplace and environment that supports the advancement of Blacks in the information technology industry. The Epsilon Award will be presented later this year at the 2009 National BDPA Technology Conference to be held August 5-9 the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, NC.

"We are very pleased to recognize the outstanding contributions that these companies have made for Blacks in Technology," said National BDPA President, Denise Holland. "In this economy, many African Americans in technology are concerned about opportunities for both employment and advancement. It is important to recognize those exceptional companies that have provided African Americans with challenging and fulfilling career opportunities in Information Technology."

BDPA Corporate Sponsors and Supporters were asked to complete a comprehensive survey that was used to rate their performance in the areas of Demographics, Diversity Programs, Diversity (Training, Affinity Groups), Tenure, Promotions and Terminations, Diversity Recruiting, Career Path Programs, Minority Vendor Programs, and Community Outreach.

"BDPA is the voice of African Americans in IT," said Dan Honig, Chief Operating Officer of WorkplaceDiversity.com. "WorkplaceDiversity.com is honored to be working with BDPA because it is committed to closing the digital divide and helping African American IT professionals advance." Added Honig, "We are very pleased to recognize these companies that are truly practicing workplace diversity in their IT departments."

P&G Undergraduate Colloquium Information: Application -- Deadline: July 31, 2009

A Unique Experience

You are invited to apply to the R&D Colloquium. The Colloquium is designed to give undergraduate chemistry and life science majors a broad overview of the current state of research in the health and beauty care industry. Some of the program highlights include:

The Colloquium is held annually in the fall in Cincinnati, Ohio. Applications are accepted year-round but must be submitted by July 31 to be considered for that year's event.The Colloquium is primarily intended for African-American, Asian, Hispanic and Native American undergraduate students. All qualified candidates, however, will be considered.

Accommodation, meals and travel expenses will be paid for by P&G. The Colloquium language is English.This opportunity to get an inside view of industrial R&D will be offered to a limited number of candidates. Applicants must be full-time college students, preferably in their junior or senior year, majoring in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, chemical engineering technology, chemical technology or another life-science-related program. [Read More]

Preparing for the ACT/SAT Exams

I wanted to make sure that the “Class of 2010” or those students needing to prepare for the upcoming ACT and SAT that they have information that allows them to perform or do the best that he or she can. It is my hope that you will share the information with others so that they can prepare for the exam(s) as well. The opportunity should always be shared with the individuals wanting to take the ACT/SAT; be it “Class of 2009”, GED or non-Traditional students because college is open to all regardless of age, career or profession.

I am often reminded of the students that I and others have assisted or guided in workshops or through advice. Some of the students that stand out are those students that didn’t have a mentor, had low self-esteem or didn’t think that they could pass the exam or could even attend college. I am especially pleased with Julian’s story. A student that wanted to attend college, but didn’t believe he could. At the time, Julian had just graduated with the “Class of 2008”, but during August of 2008, he had never applied for college or taken the ACT. But in my meeting with him, I felt he had a fire and desire to want to achieve and had the ability to do so. I advise him how to prepare for the ACT and to utilize the links on my blog, Planning and Preparing for College (Scholarships, Internships, Etc) located at http://www.ctherd.blogspot.com/ . He took the advice and took the ACT exam and scored a 21 on his first try which allowed him to be eligible for the TN Lottery and get assistance's to attend college.

The reason the workshops were successful is because it taught students’ methods and techniques and to utilize practice exams to build up their test skills and speed. In the end, knowledge is powerful, if used properly.

Below is a link that provides two technique documents (Math and Science) that I summarize from our workshops that I offer as tips along with suggested websites to practice the ACT/SAT with.

How To Prepare for the ACT/SAT

I encourage students to take 3 to 4 days a week with 2-3 hours per day and to complete your online test. Performing these practices will allow you to understand the exams better and to build up your timing and be able to complete the full exam. If a student doesn't understand how to solve the problems or get the answer then they should seek additional help through their teachers at school, an expert in the subject area, etc. The key is to learn the method/techniques to solve the problems or questions.

HSCC Testimonial: Andreaus Robinson (Chicago)

BETF is actively raising funds to support youth education programs taking place all over the nation. In today's tight economy it is important that all BETF donors clearly understand why we need financial support. We hope that as you learn more about the young people that we support ... you will be more open to secure online donation.

Today, we would like to introduce you to a national champion and Jesse Bemley Scholar. Andreaus Robinson and his teammates, trained by BDPA Chicago chapter, won the national championship in 2006. Andreaus earned a bronze medal for his efforts at the national high school computer competition (HSCC) held in 2007.

Here are his thoughts on BDPA:

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My name is Andreaus Robinson; I participated on national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) teams trained by BDPA Chicago chapter in 2006 and 2007. Our team won the championship in 2006 and took third place in 2007.

I am currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois in Champaign. My major at this point is computer science; however, I plan to pursue a minor in business and possibly degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering. I know this may sound like a lot, but I am a highly ambitious person I have many career goals I plan to pursue. I desire a career in robotics, which is why I am trying to get so many degrees; I want to know as much as I can about the different sides of robotics. I also plan to one day own my technology company, which is why I also want to minor in business so that I’ll be fairly business-savvy as well.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of interning for several different companies. The first was for my dad’s architecture company when I was only 15, for which I designed a project management tool based off the needs of the company. My next internship opportunity came in 2006 when I worked for a professor at DePaul University. I worked with Professor Jane Huang and her team to design a traceability application that they were building for Siemens. This provided a great opportunity for me because my name was published on a project and I got the opportunity to work with a group of foreign students.

My most recent internship was in 2008, when I was working for Allstate Insurance Company as a developer helping to create the next installment of the employee desktop page. This was a wonderful opportunity for me because it was a large project and I was able to learn a lot while working on this project, as well as personally work with people who had been programming for years. It was also nice to see firsthand how life working in IT might actually be.

I owe my thanks to BDPA for acquiring this internship, because Willie Anderson an active member of BDPA as well as the IT director at Allstate helped me acquire this position.

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Share some BDPA-Love with Andreaus and the BDPA Chicago chapter volunteers that worked with him in 2006-2007!

Will You Buy Amazon Kindle at $299 Discounted Price?

A number of my colleagues rave about Amazon's 6-inch Kindle. I haven't made the move because cost is a factor in my decision. Currently, I go to my local library on a weekly basis and check out books or DVDs at no cost. Amazon is sweetening the deal and the discounted price of $299 for Kindle may cause me to make the move.

I'm told that this lightweight Kindle is about the size of a typical magazine and holds over 1,500 books. Evidently, Kindle reads like a real paper with clear text and crisp images.

The Kindle Store now has over 300,000 books, magazines, newspapers, and blogs. With an advanced 3G wireless connection on your Kindle, any BDPAer can start reading books in less than 60 seconds.

I need some insights from BDPAers that have a Kindle already. Are you pleased with your purchase?

What say u?