Sharing Talent, Technology, Time

I nominate ISIS-inc.org, a small non-profit located in downtown Oakland (CA) which is promoting the use of appropriate technology to help promote sexual health, especially in at-risk youth.

Currently, ISIS is organizing a conference called sex::tech ( http://www.sxtechconference.org/) for mid-January 2008 in San Francisco with an international audience, to get focus on additional ideas for using technology (internet, mobile, video, etc.) to promote sexual education and sexual health especially among young people. The conference will attract a number of public health folks, young people plus as many high-tech folks as we can fit in the room.

I'm working with the conference to solicit sponsors. The conference website shows the details of the sponsorship opportunities (http://www.sxtechconference.org/sponsors.html ). Sponsorships will help offset the registration fees for at least some of the young people, and some of those coming from the public sector, as well as take care of the logistical and technical needs of the conference.

I can make several arguments about why this is a good opportunity for Sun:
- The youth video competition illustrates again how pervasive and varied we anticipate technological interventions will be. Readers of this discussion know that Sun equipment is probably in the backend of machines enabling wide viewing of those videos over the 'net.
- We believe that getting accurate and reliable information about sex and health to at-risk youth moves them into the pool of healthy, employable folks. We'd like to say we helped increase that pool.
- Sun's long time innovation and leadership
A Sun Foundation contribution would be delightful at the $10K level, and would be welcome at any level of support.

I nominate ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) - Rocky Mountain Chapter...

www.alsaco.org

ALS: A fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow & breathe.

ALS Association - Rocky Mountain Chapter Mission: To improve the quality of life for ALS patients and their families and to provide patient services support for the management and progression of the disease.

In addition this chapter provides guidance for local resources, plus raises money for ALS research, in home visits, & local education programs.

In addition, note that a Sun BRM employee is the ALS Rocky Mountain Chapter Board of Directors President Elect.

Thank you for your support.

Josh Rudin
SMI Elite Customer Program Operations Manager

develop and express their strengths through outdoor adventure, creative arts and group experiences, and to assist them as they navigate the difficult and sometimes traumatic transition from childhood to adolescence. During GirlVentures' first summer of operation, 14 girls participated in our inaugural Project Courage course. Since that time, approximately 2,200 girls have participated in our year-round programs. http://www.girlventures.org/whoweare/index.shtml

Girl Ventures was founded in 1997 by Bay Area educators Elizabeth McLeod and Megan Armstrong, who met while earning their Masters of Education from Harvard. In the classroom, they experienced directly the difficult and sometimes traumatic transition of young girls from childhood to adolescence, a transition that often included disturbing losses of self-esteem and confidence which in many instances lead to depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, early pregnancy, school failure, and other self-destructive behaviors. These same studies also documented that a loss in confidence among middle-school girls creates tentative learners, leading to a real loss in competence. Ultimately, girls caught in this vicious cycle are likely to close many doors to professional career goals, economic prosperity, and healthy psychological development.

GirlVentures has played a pivotal role in the lives of over 2,200 diverse 11 to 18 year-old girls from around the Bay Area through our four core program areas: Summer Outdoor Adventure Programs, School-Year Programs, Leadership Development Program, and Community Courses. GirlVentures programs are not restricted by ethnicity or cost. The program recruits from all over the Bay Area and strives to bring together diverse groups of girls who may not meet each other in their everyday lives. To ensure economic diversity and promote cultural understanding, 66% of participants receive full or partial tuition assistance, while others pay full tuition. GirlVentures programs are not for girls who are in crisis and they are rigorous. No previous experience is necessary to participate, just a willingness to try.

Summer Girl Ventures Programs:
Project Courage (grades 7-8) and Transitions (grade 9) provide a two-week journey of self-discovery and development through activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, sea kayaking, and creative expressive activities.

School Year Programs:
Rock climbing and mentorship program, self-defense courses, and yoga, open to all girls, including alumnae and those new to the GirlVentures community.

Leadership Development:
Meaningful leadership experiences, such as Assistant Instructor positions and a voice in the growth of the organization as members of our Girls Advisory Board, experiences designed to enhance the leadership skills of our alumnae girls,

GirlVentures is a community-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in The Women’s Building in San Francisco’s Mission District.

On a personal note, both my daughter, Elizabeth May and I have been involved with volunteering for Girl Ventures for a number of years. Elizabeth recently served a two year term as president of the board of directors. We both have engaged directly with the girls and the instructors in a number of activities, including acting as the re-supply force for the backpacking trips (read Sherpas!) and helping to develop and produce various fundraising activities. I can say without reservation that GirlVentures has an extraordinary effect on the lives of the girls involved, which, in turn, has an effect on all those who come in contact with them and the organization. If you would like to speak to either Elizabeth or I directly about the organization, please don't hesitate to call. It may not be UNICEF or an organization with a famous name, but it IS making a significant difference in many girls lives!

Thanks for your consideration!

Mary

ABHINANDANA WELFARE SOCIETY

I nominate AWS (apnaghar.blogspot.com)

Abhinandana Welfare Society (AWS) is a non-profit body established in 1991, by a group of dedicated housewives, for providing a home for underprivileged children. AWS set up ‘APNA GHAR’. It started out with five children under a thatched roof and now houses 30 boys and girls. It provides free food, shelter, clothing, medicare and education from Kindergarten to High School level. It provides a supportive, secure and homely environment. The inmates are also taught personal hygiene, etiquette and good manners. Cultural activities and games are also encouraged.

I would like to nominate LoVe : http://www.lilyvalleyusa.org/index.html
LoVE , a non-profit organization created to help AIDS
infected and affected children, beginning at Lily of the
Valley Children’s Village and the surrounding
poverty stricken community in KwaZulu, South Africa.
Our goal is also educational, pertaining to the AIDS
pandemic world wide.

We believe that Lily is one answer to the AIDS crisis and
L.oV.E. provides an easy and effective way to make a
difference in the lives of these children and the
surrounding area. Using this model, our vision is to
spread beyond and plant more ‘Lilies’. With community
and individual partnerships supporting this endeavor,
each child has a chance at learning, growing, and a life
with hope and love. Explore our web site and discover
how you can make a difference.

/“Your support is the difference between comfort and
suffering, life and death for countless numbers of
people, especially children, for years to come!”/

Hi

I'd like to nominate the French association L'un est L'autre. http://www.lunestlautre.org Based in Paris, this charity helps homeless people eat a hot nutritional meal on the weekends when state and other charities only cater on weekdays... L'un est L'autre motive is to serve, listen and share. The are no pre-conditions to whom may eat each weekend and the voluteers invest in providing a balanced meal that includes vegetables.

I second the nomination for Direct Relief. Excellent organization, whose focus on their mission is a model for nonprofits. Most of every dollar donated goes to those in need, and relatively little is spent on fund raising and operational overhead. They're good at what they do, leveraging relationships with big pharma and other emergency medical supply companies to maximize their impact.

-Scott

Great minds think alike.... If you are a great mind you will vote for Dallas GREATMINDS- Girls Reaching for Education about Technology, Moving in Directions for Success. (What a great acronym!) This is an outreach program offered through the Alliance of Technology and Women http://www.atwinternational.org It is a 501c organization. In the past couple of years, Dallas Sun employees have worked with this group to offer technology scavenger hunts, lunch with a robot (see photos on this group's facebook album) and college scholarships. In 2004, when Scott McNealy gave an address to the Dallas Chamber, he mentioned the interesting work that Sun has done with this organization. We would love to continue programs to get kids excited about careers in math and science. Programs planned for 2008 that still need funding are: lunch with an astronaut, scholarships for Zoey's Room ( a social networking site for STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), college scholarships and funding for summer science camps. We have the volunteers...we just need funding to make the programs happen. If we were to raise enough money we could sponsor other kids programs with our customers. One that we have in mind is: Technology Awareness Day at Burlington Northern Railroad. It is a tech career day for inner city kids that is held every Feb.

Perhaps our work will make the next Sun speech to the Dallas Chamber....Worse case we will get some kids excited about technology.

ATW MISSION AND GOALS

Mission

ATW supports women and men worldwide who share the common interests of empowering women in technology, increasing the number of women in executive roles and encouraging women and girls to enter technology fields.

Goals

EDUCATE: ATW will educate members on technology and management trends, and offer personal and professional development.

CONNECT: ATW will provide opportunities for women to connect with fellow professionals and build relationships and alliances with business leaders.

MENTOR: ATW will host programs for members and young women to access positive role models in technology fields.

Nominating TechSoup:
------
For 20 years, TechSoup has helped nonprofits obtain, use, and sustain technology to fulfill their missions. TechSoup.org’s Web site is widely recognized as a trusted technology resource for nonprofits who benefit from our many nonprofit-focused technology resources, including donated products from major technology companies; articles; and discussion boards on which they can share their challenges and solutions with a community of peers.

Milestones:
** The TechSoup Web site serves 450,000 unique visitors per month from over 190 countries.

** The TechSoup Stock product donation service has enabled nonprofits to save $830 million in IT expenses and has distributed over 3.1 million products to more than 67,000 organizations.

**Our Nonprofit Commons in Second Life project launched in 2006 and has 500+ members from over 60 countries, with a community-blog (over 2200 visitors/month)

TechSoup’s NetSquared Initiative helps nonprofits worldwide use new social web tools to extend their reach and impact. Launched in 2005 & comprised of complementary online and face-to-face elements, NetSquared has made a sizable impact: approximately 20,000 unique monthly Web site visitors from six continents, 8,000 registered users in its online community, and over $100,000 in grants and in-kind services distributed to help nonprofits benefit from these social networking tools.

I nominate SolaRoof ... using SolaRoof technology it is possible to have abundant clean energy. SolaRoof uses a closed system to utilize the available solar energy in a combination of bio-conversion steps, as well as managed heat transfer and heat retention. With SolarRoof there is a positive CO2 outcome ... a critical step in getting control of solar warming.
www.SolaRoof.com

I would like to nominate the Aidmatrix Foundation (www.aidmatrix.org). Aidmatrix strives to develop and leverage a global aid network built on innovative technology and partnership -- orchestrating the Right Aid to the Right People at the Right Time™.

Aidmatrix provides humanitarian aid, connecting those who have with those who have not. They focus on the areas – Hunger, Medical, Disaster. They create systems that is used on a daily basis to process hundreds of offers and in times of disaster can be leveraged to move donated items even more efficiently. The Goal of the network is to improve the lives of the under-served residents world wide.

They currently connect more than 35,000 nonprofits. Aidmatrix helps their partners deliver on their missions more efficiently. To do so, they work with corporations and NGOs to create a framework for public and private partnership. Aidmatrix partners include including some of the world's leading nonprofit organizations such as the World Food Programme, America's Second Harvest, the food bank network, and International Federation of Red Cross. Corporate and governmental partners include FEMA, US Chamber of Commerce, Honduras COPECO, Sun Microsystem and Accenture.

Aidmatrix moves more than $1.5 billion dollars worth of aid annually. Every dollar invested in Aidmatrix is leveraged over 1,000% because of the corporate investment and nonprofits sharing best practices. Aidmatrix concept is to build systems to empower nonprofits and allow the entire humanitarian space to take a step forward.

Hi - Here is my nomination. It is a cause that is near and dear to me.

Challenge Organization
www.challenge.org.au

Background:
This January, at only 20 months of age, Ella Josefsberg, the daughter of a close friend was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Following that diagnosis, Ella’s life and the lives of her three brothers and parents has changed. Time previously scrolled away for play-dates and soccer practice has been quickly replaced with hospital stays and chemo therapy.

Ella’s parents quickly realized that they we were in need of a community to support their changing situation and to help Ella adjust to her new reality.
The Challenge Organization, based in Melbourne Australia has provided just that.

Mission:
Challenge, a non-profit organization provides children living with cancer with the opportunity to put their illness aside and interact with other children in similar circumstances.

The organization, staffed solely by volunteers, offers family services 365 days a year, including camps, family activities, hospital and parent support, art and music therapy, financial support, holiday accommodation and an extensive “special event” ticketing program.

Recently, through Challenge, Ella was able to attend a Wiggles concert and spend time before the show with Anthony, whom she adores.

Please consider supporting the Challenge Organization. It provides that fresh breath of air that Ella, her family, and countless others in similar situations desperately need.

I want to nominate a Dutch foundation against meaninglessly violence

http://www.zinloosgeweld.nl

It felt good. For one minute the Dutch were quiet. That was impressive. Everyone was quiet for someone who thought: What happens here, is meaningless. We cannot accept this.
But a minute 's silence is not enough.
This foundation gives presentations for everybody against meaninglessly violence.

Like Scott Mattoon, I would like to nominate Architecture for Humanity, a registered 501(c)3 based in San Francisco (http://openarchitecturenetwork.org) for the work they have done.. even if I would like to nominate all the others for the work they do also..

If you have time come to see me, I try to do my best also..

Jacques Macaire
jacmacaire@humanbe.com

I'd like to nominate National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) http://www.marrow.org

NMDP is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that relies upon the generosity of individuals, companies and foundations to fulfill our mission. On any given day more than 6000 men, women and children are searching the registry for a life saving donor. These patients have succumbed to any of a variety of 70 types of blood cancers, which can only be treated with a Bone Marrow Transplant. Over eighty percent will not receive the transplant needed to save their lives.

NMDP advances its mission by building the National Registry, delivering patient resources and conducting vital research.

Building the registry-The NMDP is entrusted by U.S. Congress to manage the registry of more than 6 million adult volunteer prospective donors

Delivering Patient Resources- Providing information, financial assistance, understanding and support to patients and families every step of the way

Conducting Research- Creating the hope for longer and healthier lives for transplant patients through scientific discovery

I'd also like to nominate Stanford Blood Centers' Marrow Donor Program, http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/donate/marrow.html

The Stanford Blood Centers’ Marrow Donor Program in conjunction with the National Marrow Donor Program serves a variety of communities from San Francisco to the far South Bay.

The primary function of the Program is Education of Volunteer Donors of stem cells, Recruitment of Donors and retention of Donors who have already consented to participate.

The goal is to be a larger part of the Blood Center as a whole.

The cost of just one HLA(Human Leukocyte Antigen) test, which is how the life saving matches for patients with Leukemias or blood cancers, is $52. Many families that want to run drives for a loved one in need simply cannot afford to run a drive.

The Center's current funding falls hopelessly short of its need to help all of the patients and families that ask for the Center's help. Any funds that the Center should receive would only be used for payment of typing for individuals that otherwise could not afford it.

I'd also like to nominate Mercy Corps, http://www.mercycorps.org

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities around the world.

Mercy Corps provides:

Emergency relief services that assist people afflicted by conflict or disaster.

Sustainable economic development that integrates agriculture, health, housing and infrastructure, economic development, education and environment, and local management.

Civil society initiatives that promote citizen participation, accountability, conflict management and the rule of law.

I'd also like to nominate CityTeam, http://www.cityteam.org

CityTeam Ministries is a non-profit organization serving the poor and homeless in San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Seattle, Philadelphia and partnerships in over 7 other countries around the world.

Since 1957, CityTeam has provided life-saving food, shelter, clothing, recovery programs, youth outreach, camp for at-risk inner city kids, discipleship and other essential care 365 days a year.

I'd also like to nominate Silicon Valley Habitat for Humanity, http://www.habitatsanjose.org

Vision: The elimination of substandard living conditions in Santa Clara County.

Mission: To be the pre-eminent low income home-ownership builder in Silicon Valley.

In its 20 years of existence, 37 homes were built:
* 17 homes in San Jose
* 10 homes in Alviso
* 6 homes in Campbell
* 3 homes in Santa Clara
* 1 home in Los Gatos

Current projects are the construction of six homes on Murphy Street and a single home on Willow Street in the city of San Jose.

I would like to nominate Nightingales Medical Trust, Bangalore, India.

Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT) is a NGO dedicated to eldercare. They work towards bringing joy, dignity, hope and health to elders. Nightingales sensitizes the community and the government to the problems that elders face and encourage public participation in their efforts to create various family based support systems for elders of different socio economic groups.

They have several projects including

Home Health Services
Elders Enrichment Centre
Elders Helpline
Elders Day care centre
Life Saving services
Dementia Care
Elders Economic Security Initiative
Pension Help Desk
Elders Police Hotline
Mobile Medicare for Rural Elders
Projects/Medical camps For Underprivileged Elders

Some of their noteworthy achievements include:

- Some of their projects and programmes have emerged as models and are being replicated.
- Successfully involved Police Department in addressing elder abuse effectively.
- Nightingales was instrumental in persuading the state government to formulate a state policy on older persons and to set up the State Task Force for the implementation and monitoring of the state policy.
- As the member representing NGOs in the Task Force, Nightingales Medical Trust has influenced the government to expand Helpline services in six districts and establish four day care centres in the State and a Geriatric Ward in Tumkur Government Hospital.
- A very recent development is Nightingales Honorary Membership at the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) based in Canada and partnership with Southern Cross Care. Southern Cross Care is an Australian, Christian, not-for-profit, community service organization.


Sun has partnered with Nightingales in the past during Volunteer Week to arrange for medical camps for rural elders. Having assosiated with them in the past in such projects, I think they are a deserving organisation for assistance and we can be rest assured that the funds are reaching the real needy.

For more information, visit their website
http://www.nightingaleseldercare.com/

Failed to mention the dollar amounts in the original posting:
Lunch with an Astronaut - $1,000 for30 kids to attend
Zoey's room - $900 for 30 kids to be a part of it
Scholarships - $5000 - If we get more we will award more scholarships
Tech Awareness Day - $2,000 to cover the cost of prizes for the kids who complete a technology questionnaire correctly

All projects will help bridge the digital divide!!!

Hi! I'd like to nominate the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (www.youthaidscoalition.org).

GYCA is a youth-led international network of young people fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS at the community level, in 150 countries worldwide. 6,000 young people are infected with HIV everyday, and poverty, gender inequality, and violence make youth disproportionately vulnerable to HIV infection. GYCA empowers young leaders with the knowledge, skills, resources, and opportunities they need to be effective agents of change.

Due to technical difficulties, I am posting a few nominations on behalf of other people.

From Joanie Walker:

St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility anywhere. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

We are where some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do more science, more quickly. Where doctors across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients. Where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay. We've built America's 3rd-largest health-care charity, with a model that keeps the costs down and the funds flowing, so the science never stops.

*/All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay./*

I would like to nominate YES Reading.

YES Reading is a growing children's literacy nonprofit founded at Belle Haven School, just a few blocks from Sun's Menlo Park campus. Its mission is to empower children in low-income communities with the reading skills they need to break down the barriers to education and open the doors to opportunity.

According to the US Department of Education, 4 out of 5 children in low-income communities cannot read at their grade level. If a child can't read, then they face one of the biggest barriers to accessing the technology and content they need to grow and thrive in an increasingly networked world.

What began with a handful of community volunteers in the school library has grown into the largest literacy intervention program in the San Francisco Bay Area, with 13 locations in 6 different school districts. YES Reading also operates Home Connections, a family literacy program for monolingual and preliterate parents, and Take Reading Home, a book giveaway program that helps children start their first at-home library.

YES Reading relies on donations to provide the curriculum its tutors use, the books it gives to students, the school supplies that every classroom needs, and the community outreach that helps get new volunteers engaged.

YES Reading's volunteer tutors have an 87% success rate in measurably helping students narrow the achievement gap, accelerating their progress in reading by an average of 270%.

Thank you for your consideration.

-Ryan

Another nomination due to technical difficulties. From Laura Dennis:

So Others Might Eat - SOME
www.some.org

Founded in 1970, SOME (So Others Might Eat) is a community-based organization that exists to help the poor and homeless of our nation's capital. Through the years, SOME has evolved into a comprehensive social service agency with a twofold mission: to meet people's immediate needs and to help them overcome the barriers that keep them homeless and destitute. They meet the immediate daily needs of the people they serve with food, clothing, and health care. SOME aims to empower the poor and break the cycle of homelessness by helping people to help themselves. They help by offering services, such as affordable housing, life skills, education, job training, addiction treatment, counseling, case management, rehabilitative services, and community development to the poor, the elderly and individuals with mental illness. Each day, SOME is restoring hope and dignity one person at a time.
Food is what SOME is best known for, and more than 900 meals are served each day by a large network of community volunteers from local churches, synagogues, and civic organizations.

During the past year alone, SOME, through the contributions they receive, has been able to provide:

* 242,230 meals for hungry children, women, and men
* 9,005 medical and dental care visits to homeless people who could not afford a doctor or dentist
* 1,375 adults with individual and group counseling, case management and continuing care
* 98,427 meals for the residents of our rehabilitative programs, senior centers and shelter for abused elderly
* 16,734 showers and free clothing for homeless men and women
* 109,398 permanent and long-term housing nights to over 450 homeless children, women and men
* 2,281 shelter nights for 41 abused and neglected elderly
* 27,693 transitional housing nights for homeless men and women in rehabilitative programs designed to help participants maintain sobriety and find employment
* 44,760 hours of intensive job training to 68 homeless and extremely low-income women and men