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Culminis CARES - An Open Letter From Our CEO
 
One of the greatest gifts that anyone can give is the gift of themselves.
 
Culminis has, since its inception, been about making a difference. We work to bring the IT Community together for a variety of reasons, communication, fellowship, networking, opportunities and service. The last one, is most important.
 
As leaders, the members of the Alliance have shown that they are willing to make a difference by giving of themselves and elevating others. We have tried not only to encourage all leaders and members of the Alliance all over the world to seek out opportunities to make a difference in the lives of those not only within their organizations but further, in the community in which they reside.
 
The Alliance has responded with thunderous results.
 
We have seen extraordinary examples of the wonderful, giving character of IT PROS over the last year. Through the efforts of our leaders, we are proud to say that the lives of over one million children around the world have been made better, richer and more meaningful through the work of the Culminis Alliance leaders and the Members they lead..
 
This is a new program for us but one that will be ongoing. We want to recognize the wonderful IT Heroes out there that are making a difference, to hold them up as shining examples and through them to inspire others to give of themselves and ultimately, help all of us to make a difference.
 
Dave Sanders
CEO
Culminis, Inc.
 
Title
Laptop Computers for the Neil Squire Society
The Neil Squire Society (www.neilsquire.ca) provides assistance to a wide range of handicapped people. They have refurbished over 800 PC's for their clients' home use. They provide retraining and job placement services. They also have an R&D section where they develop a wide range of devices to adapt to various disabilities to permit computer use. Many of their employees and volunteers are handicapped themselves. I recently was given a tour of their offices and came away both impressed and touched by the experience.
 
For example, I was told of one recent placement. A lady had retrained as a Legal Secretary. A large law firm was looking for a Legal Secretary and NSS applied on her behalf. The HR manager from the law firm asked how many words a minute that the lady typed. The answer was 35. After a long pause the reply was,"but that isn't very good". The NSS rep said, "that's true but that's with her feet!". She got the job and what she lacks in typing speed she more than makes up for in attitude. Getting the job was important but regaining her sense of purpose was the most important thing.
 
I first encountered the NSS at the annual CIPS (www.cips.ca) Informatics conference in Victoria, BC, Canada this spring. Then Stephen Ibaraki, national Vice-President of CIPS, had the great idea of inviting them to a major Microsoft event called EnergizeIT'06. Microsoft kindly provided T-shirts for them to sell as a fund raiser. Everybody was happy all around, including the attendees who were impressed that they had been invited. I knew then that my involvement with them would continue.
 
They recently had a need for some used laptops (not usually that easy to find) for a new distance learning program that they have started. Luckily I was able to locate what they needed via one of the VANTUG members. The personal reward when I delivered them cannot truly be described. It was like being Santa at Xmas. They were so overjoyed. If there was ever any doubt that the time and effort was all worthwhile it all evaporated in that moment.
 
I anticipate having an ongoing relationship with them and have already been asked to provide letters of reference for some of their grant applications. There are lots of Neil Squires out there who can benefit from help from the IT community. Most charitable/non-profit organizations typically lack money, equipment, skills and resources to operate efficiently and to move forward. We have the skills, knowledge and experieince and should be offering to help these kinds of organizations.
 
With that in mind I, Stephen Ibaraki and a gentleman by the name of Jing Chen are working towards a more structured approach to providing help in the Vancouver area. This includes engaging other UG Leaders to seek their assistance in this endeavour. We are hoping to put up a website in the near future (www.ITVolunteering.org). Currently we are working on providing database advice to the BC Paraplegic Association (thanks go to Scott Stauffer of PASS who is helping with that) and I am in the process of arranging for me to provide Office training to the Surrey Food Bank. The SFB project that I wrote about previously is nearing completion and I hope to report on that experience soon.
 
My experiences over the past 6 months have had a profound effect upon me. Surely there can be no better feeling than to know that you helped to give someone the chance to regain their sense of purpose in life, something which most of us take for granted. Perhaps we would feel differently if it was suddenly taken away!
 
Cheers
Graham Jones
President, VANTUG
Donation of ICT equipment to create a Rural Telecenter
Established in 2001 with the vision “IT for All,” Forum for Information Technology Nepal (FIT Nepal) strives to take the benefits of ICT to the rural and marginalized communities of Nepal. The effort has made significant strides, especially in establishing community telecenters and capacity building.
 
With the assistance from Peace Child International of UK and Unlimited NuMedia of Nepal, FIT Nepal was able to provide some ICT equipments to Rotary Community Corps of Dhulikhel, a village about 25 kms away from Kathmandu towards to Chinese border to convert their existing ICT training facilities into a rural telecenter.
 
The new enrichment in the services offered to the community will definitely provide an excellent medium for global networking. The community as a whole will be connected to the rest of the world making communication and information exchange a lot easier, faster and relatively cheaper. This will not only assist in its communication with the rest of the world via Internet, but also people can get updated to the ever emerging new information and communication technologies and a lot of other information around the world. This will also serve as a gateway for the commercial activities and facilitate the local business parties get a wider and better perspective on their business affairs making transactions a lot easier and faster.
Should other User Groups assist us in finding used second-hand conputers that we can recondition and provide to the needy and poor in the rural sectors of Nepal to assist them with reducing the digital divide and enabling them with the basic communication facilities thru V-SAT and wireless connectivity.

Please contact info@fitnepal.org.np should you be able to assist getting basic computers that you would otherwise throw out from your organizations to the poorest of the poor of the bottom of the economic pyramid in the top of the world --- Nepal.
Huntsville NT Users Group (HUNTUG) Community Outreach
Valley Garden activities center, Culminis and HUNTUG have launched a joint community initiative located at Valley Garden apartments activity center, Huntsville, Alabama. The goal is to make a difference in the community by providing free training, support and a path to active employment for the people that most require it.
 
The joint efforts of the organizations, has resulted in a series of free training classes in Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Access, Power Point, Excel, and Outlook. The classes are geared to help one develop competence and confidence in using these applications.
 
Successful completion of the classes will allow the class candidate to demonstrate to potential employers that they have achieved a predictable level of skills in using these applications. With computers becoming ubiquitous in the work place, these skills have now become a requirement for most employment.
 
Classes are held once a week in the evenings. At the end of the course, candidates can take the Microsoft Office Specialist certification exam, after which successful candidates will be assisted in finding suitable employment positions.
 
Many residents of Valley Garden have taken advantage of this opportunity and all the classes are full. The benefits of bringing together people that need a second chance at life with people that have been blessed is a win-win situation for all. Given the encouraging response, the goal is to keep this community effort alive for many years to come.
At the end of the class, the residents who pass the class receive a computer.  We need computers or parts, software such as Microsoft Office and XP Pro, etc.  Of course any donation will help us grow and continue to offer this program to the residents of Vally Garden.
Software project for Surrey Food Bank, BC, Canada
VANTUG has provided 2 volunteer developers to work on a team of 6 to overhaul the registration and records system for the Surrey Food Bank in British Columbia, Canada. The Surrey Food Bank helps over 13,000 people per month with basic food needs. The overhaul has been necessitated by virtue of the increasing demands upon them. They now need a distributed system with replication for their database of clients to service an increasing number of distribution depots.
 
This opportunity arose after being contacted by the President of JDQ of Vancouver as part of their 3Spheres of Reciprosity community involvement program (www.jdq.com/3spheres). I suggest that you check this out as a useful model for community engagement.
 
When I was approached I quickly realized that UG's are in a somewhat unique position in being able to try and provide volunteers with a wide range of technical skills and experience to support deserving non-profit organizations. VANTUG will seek to try and build a longer term relationship with company's like JDQ who recognize the benefit to the community, and no doubt themselves, of projects of this kind.
 
A contribution to the food bank itself is obviously one way to help. However, the leverage in this case is far greater. You might be wondering why I am reporting this here since it involves developers. VANTUG is a member of both INETA and Culminis. We will certainly be looking to provide IT Pro assistance wherever we can. I would like to encourage other user groups to consider community involvement of this kind. Just think of the collective value that we could add!
 
Cheers
Graham Jones,
President, VANTUG
President AITP Pittsburgh Chapter - Stan Hoffman
We were able to send a donation to the
 
The Salvation Army
Hurricane Relief Fund
P.O. Box 630243
Baltimore, MD 21263-0243
 
Also we hold an annual Scholarship golf outing to raise money to help computer students. This outing will be held August 12, 2006 at Butlers Golf Course Elizabeth PA.  More details on our web page   www.aitp-pgh.org
 
 
We can use donations for gifts for our golf outing.   I could be contacted at 412 351-8411.
Microsoft DUG (Defense Users Group) coordinating holiday package mailings for deployed troops.
The Microsoft DUG (Defense Users Group) is coordinating holiday package mailings for deployed troops from the .Net community as an extension of our charter to facilitate Microsoft support to the Defense Community.  Our portal, meetings, and activities provide a variety of technical and business advice and coordination to this end.  See our website at http://www.defenseclub.com/sites/mdug or email us at info@defenseclub.com
 
CIC & Community Spirit
 
The January meeting of Calgary ITPro Community is a step towards Industry& 'Community' working together for the benefit of humanity.  Not a Holiday Programme but something that I am attempting to have as an on going affair.  Attending will be various Community Organizations...senior homes, Rehab centres, Street Ministries, Urban Help  Groups, Big Bros & Sisters, Boys & Girls Club, etc.  The point here is to create awareness of thier work & thier needs, both of thier IT Depts. & of thier clients.  We are looking to how CIC Members & IT Pros can respond & assist these PEOPLE.
 
Kindest Regards,
CIC Pres.
Drew
 
 
 
 
If you would like to be involved, please contact Drew with CIC.
Dayton Ohio, NPA Chapter Community Service Efforts
Dayton, Ohio Chapter of NPA (DaNPA, www.danpa.org) members this month volunteered 2 days of their time over a weekend to assist a local charity, The Miami Valley Women's Center (MVWC) -  by installing network cabling for this non-profit organization.

DaNPA member, Jim Redman and his employer Contingent Network Solutions donated the cabling, tools and equipment to complete this job. Other DaNPA members also assisted in crawling through the attic, fishing cables through walls, pulling and terminating cables for this effort. DaNPA has also been instrumental recently in helping the MVWC save thousands of dollars in purchasing software. We were able to guide the MVWC to purchase their software through Techsoup.org in which the center was able to purchase $25,000 worth of software for less than $1000

DaNPA also assisted in helping MVWC aquire an IBM e-server X226 through a grant program from IBM and we will soon be installing and migrating them to Microsoft Small Business Server 2003.

This is a job that they could not have afforded without our help, and they are very grateful for your efforts.

Thank you DaNPA for reaching out in this community service effort.

The Women's Center is still in need of a 24 port 100 megabit switch, a Macintosh G4 Computer, 5 DDS-4 backup tapes, additional 1.5 Gig of memory and (2) 73 GB SCSI Raid Hard Disks for IBM e-server X226.

If you or your company have an interest in making a tax deductable donation to this cause, please contact scott.bostic@danpa.org. This is a 501c3 Charity.

New England Information Security Group - Annual Charity Event
Each year, the New England Information Security Group (NEISG, www.neisg.org) contributes back to the community by organizing a charitable event.

This years's event was a ten-week, CISSP training course, led by one of the directors of the NEISG board.  Attendees of the training course were charged a nominal $450 for the coursework.

All proceeds were donated to the Premananda Orphanage Center in India. The program raised $12,000 for the orphanage and we have already had multiple calls by NEISG members to repeat the program.
We need instructors to volunteer to teach the program if we decide to re-run it.
Global Angels
Global Angels Mark

GLOBAL ANGELS - THE Five Main Causes IN DETAIL

1. To Feed and educate children living in extreme poverty.

 

2. To Empower Street children and orphans.

 

3. To provide freedom, rehabilitation and protection for trafficked children and child slaves trapped in sex slavery, debt bondage or slave labour. 

 

4. To provide access to safe and clean water for all children, and protecting those that are under the ravages of environmental change.

 

5. To support Children living with disability or life threatening illness.

ensuring they are given the proper care and attention they deserve – best practice

Global Angels is an innovative international children’s charity championing the needs of children around the world. Founded by Molly Bedingfield (mother of Natasha and Daniel Bedingfield), Global Angels is quickly becoming the charity of choice for celebrities and the public alike. Ambassadors include the likes of Natasha Bedingfield, Lemar and Daniel Bedingfield.

 

THE GLOBAL ANGELS PROMISE:

A unique charity in itself, Global Angels promises that for every pound of public money donated to their causes, ALL will go directly to support projects working with children at a grass-roots level.

 

Global Angels main aim is a simple one:

 

TO MAKE THE WORLD A SAFER AND KINDER PLACE FOR ALL CHILDREN

 

In aiming to make the world a safer and kinder place for all children, there are 5 areas on which Global Angels focus its efforts: 

  • Food and education for children living in extreme poverty
  • Trafficked children and child slaves
  • Street kids and orphans
  • Children living with disability or illness
  • Providing clean safe water

 

Global Angels champion and fundraise for best practice projects making a significant impact in the following areas.

 

Programs operate in Mozambique, Sudan, Angola, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Costa Rica, Brazil, Nepal, India, and Cambodia

 

 

FIVE AREAS OF FOCUS:

 

1. To Feed and educate children living in extreme poverty

FACT: 1 billion children in the world today live in extreme poverty; 130 million children lack access to education (Unicef)

 

Global Angels have a goal to feed and educate 1 million children in Africa, Asia and Latin America through their school feeding program. Providing 70% of a child’s daily food through a school feeding program encourages parents to send their children to school for the first time. Through providing education to children who would not otherwise be given the opportunity to go to school, the charity is empowering children and their families to break the cycle of poverty for themselves. Knowledge opens the door to choices, giving children a real hope for the future.

 

 

2. To Empower Street children, orphans

FACT: There are estimated to be 150 million street children around the world

(UN 2001)

FACT: In Sub-Saharan Africa alone there are at least 48 million orphans (UN 2006)

 

Millions of children live and work on the streets, without protection from traffickers, pedophiles, criminals and abusers. Millions of children do not have food or education, adequate shelter, or a loving family as we know it.

 

 

3. To provide freedom, rehabilitation and protection for trafficked children and child slaves trapped in sex slavery, debt bondage or slave labour 

 

FACT: 8.4 million children work as slave laborers, child sex slaves or soldiers worldwide

(The Int. Labor Organisation)

 


 4. To provide access to safe and clean water for all children, and protecting those that are under the ravages of environmental change – and educate children on how to respect our planet and help other children suffering the effects of climate change

 

FACT: 21 per cent of children in developing countries are severely water deprived, living without a safe water source within a fifteen minute walk of their homes (UNICEF)

FACT: Lack of safe water is the world’s single largest cause of illness

FACT: 4,500 children die every day from unsafe water


 

5. To support Children living with disability or life threatening illness.

ensuring they are given the proper care and attention they deserve – best practice

FACT: 30 million children die each year from preventable diseases (World Hunger)

 

 

SOME PROJECTS THAT BENEFIT…..

 

School Feeding Program in Mozambique

In Guludo, Mozambique, Global Angels has partnered with NEMA to provide food for 300 children this year in a new school-feeding program. Because of living in extreme poverty, 200 of these children previously had no opportunity to go to school. The village is being transformed.

 

Feeding Program for Street Kids and Impoverished children in Costa Rica

50% of the Costa Rican population is under the age of 15. Thousands of children grow up hungry, without daily nutritious food. Unable to focus in school and fatigued from the lack of food, these children grow up with all the difficulties associated with malnutrition. A network of child focused soup kitchens and feeding centers feed 1,500 children a daily nutritious breakfast.

 

School for street kids and orphans in Kenya

MCF, in Kenya is home to over 1,000 former street children from the slums of Kibera, Nairobi. Global Angels has provided 4 homes for 240 boys and a water purification plant for 600 children and their surrounding community. The MCF school is now number 26 in the top 100 schools in Kenya. This project represents one of the many outstanding street kids and orphans projects on our website.

 

Kids Behind Bars, Philippines

A Jubilee Action and CNN investigation revealed that kids in the Philippines are being held in cramped, overcrowded cells, detained with hardened criminals and pedophiles, in conditions some call torture. Global Angels is helping Preda with funds to build a new Home where boys released from prison can receive the care and personal attention they deserve. The centre will provide medical services, appropriate therapy, educational and social skills training. It will also act as a contact point between the boys and their family.  

 

Children Rescued from the Child Sex Slave Industry in Mumbai, India

Global Angels has teamed up with human rights charities, Jubilee Action and Teen Challenge Bombay, as they rescue and rehabilitate orphaned and abandoned children from the red light district, of Mumbai, India. Global Angels is are fundraising to support children in two residential homes which now house over 100 children rescued from the red light district. The children can grow up in a loving and caring environment, rehabilitated, educated and equipped with the skills which will enable them to break the cycle of poverty and slavery.

 

Fresh Water in Mozambique and Cambodia

In Mozambique, Global Angels has helped to provide fresh water wells for 15,000 people whose only water supply was to drink from water holes shared with elephants and other animals.

 

In Cambodia, Global Angels has just provided 18 water filters and 11 wells for families through Hagar in Phnom Penh. Hagar, works with disabled, exploited and vulnerable children. When a child is returned to their family of origin, they are each given a Bio Sand Filter. Due to its simple technology, low cost, easy maintenance and proven effectiveness, a vast improvement is seen in each family and surrounding families, as the water is shared with everyone in the village.

Abandoned Disabled Children in Thailand

After winning ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’, Lydia George donated all her prize money to set up 4Life, in support of children in Thailand that are abandoned because of their disabilities.

 

Living in appalling conditions, many of these children exist in an environment where the most basic human needs of physical touch, care and stimulation are simply not provided. 4Life runs Day Care centers, a community based care program, a home and school for disabled children and orphans.  
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