Aid for Schools, Hospitals, Libraries, Unemployment and Disaster Relief

Four technology-forward charities, benefiting schools, hospitals, libraries, unemployment and disaster relief, received philanthropic gifts donated by the member communities of CompTIA.

Each of CompTIA’s member communities are donating $5,000 each in 2011 to IT-related charities, and some are announcing their gift selections at Breakaway this week in Washington, D.C.

The IT Services & Support Community in Europe gave $5,000 to Close the Gap, an international not-for-profit organization that helps bridge the digital divide by offering used IT-equipment to schools and hospitals.

“The ITSS EMEA Community is proud to be associated with CompTIA’s charitable donations, especially at a time of recession and food shortage in many regions of the world,” said Charlie O'Shaughnessy, worldwide returns manager of Intel Ireland Ltd., and chair of CompTIA’s ITSS EMEA Community. “We choose Close the Gap, which installs donated IT equipment in developing countries across Africa, Southeast Asia and South America, as it reflects our industry’s desire to use the power of IT in both personal and social development.”

The Small Business Owners Community gave its $5,000 to Techsoup, which provides non-profits and libraries with technology.

“The Small Business Owner’s community is focused on small business success. In many cases that success involves finding creative ways to assist small businesses with their software needs,” said Frank Picarello, CEO and managing partner of Cadence Management Advisors LLC. “Techsoup has been servicing the needs of small businesses in helping them acquire the software and applications required to run their business at significant savings over street prices. Techsoup has done this is an unselfish way for many years and helps non-profits and other small businesses obtain the software they need at pricing that is simply amazing.”

For the IT Security Community’s donation, two charities were nominated that provide very different services. “The Stride Center provides technology training and certification to people so they can achieve economic self-sufficiency. Hands That Give provides assistance to business owners whose ability to run their companies is impacted by personal or natural disasters. Hands That Give recently assisted a computer reseller in Joplin, Missouri, whose business was leveled by the killer tornado in May,” said Mike Semel, vice president and chief security officer, Business Continuity Technologies. “Instead of selecting one over the other, the IT Security Community chose to split its gift evenly between two charities.”

Three charities were chosen in June and three more were chosen in July.  The remaining three gifts will be announced later this month.

IT companies interested in becoming more involved in IT philanthropy can contact the Creating IT Futures Foundation on how they can make a difference.