WIT Announces Partnership with FIRST
WIT Foundation to sponsor regional robotics competition and provide mentors and financial support to
Georgia high school teams that meet the criteria for female participation

December 13, 2006 - ATLANTA, GA - The WIT Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Women in Technology (WIT), the leading association committed to the development of Georgia's businesswomen in the technology industry, today announced a partnership with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit educational organization founded to inspire young people's interest in science and technology.  As part of the agreement, the WIT Foundation will provide financial contributions to the organization and provide volunteers and mentors when possible to guide the teams and work at the Peachtree Regional, one of many annual FIRST Robotics Competition events.

FIRST operates three programs — a FIRST LEGO League for 9-14 year olds, FIRST Vex Challenge, an accessible, affordable robotics program for high school students, and the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), a full-scale program for high school students that includes recruiting, fundraising and technical training.  The partnership calls for The WIT Foundation to sponsor the GeorgiaFIRST FRC program and be recognized as a Leader in Technology at the Peachtree Regional in March 2007. 

A significant portion of the dollars provided are to help fund Georgia teams that meet the goal of having between 30 and 50 percent of female students on the team where female students must serve in an equal distribution across both technical and non-technical roles.

"This partnership is the result of a working relationship initiated between WIT and FIRST back in 2000 when the FRC competition first came into Georgia," said Sue Miller, president, WIT Foundation.  "It is very personally rewarding to be able to cement such a solid partnership.  Our support will help encourage the involvement of young women in a program that provides them with an unparalleled development opportunity to participate in complex design and problem solving, while navigating the challenges of working within a team."

"We are excited to gain the support and involvement of the WIT Foundation and hope to continue to involve a growing number of young women in our programs," said Paul Gudonis, president of FIRST.  "The FIRST Robotics Competition was designed to give high school students an opportunity for creativity and teamwork that isn't found in your standard classroom.  The contributions of the WIT Foundation, both in dollars and in time, will help us increase the diversity of our teams and continue to enrich our program as it grows."

For more information on FIRST, visit www.usfirst.org.

About the WIT Foundation
Founded in 2004, the WIT Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the philanthropic aims of WIT, Inc.  The WIT Foundation vision is to encourage and enable girls & young women to pursue and thrive in technology.  The WIT Foundation's main initiatives today are Girls Get IT and WIT on Track.  Each seeks to empower young women by demonstrating the variety of careers available to females in the IT industry.

About Women in Technology (WIT)
WIT is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit association promoting the advancement of women in the field of technology.  WIT is a founding society of the Technology Association of Georgia, an umbrella membership organization that serves more than 5,000 members of the Georgia technology community.  WIT hosts bimonthly meetings featuring nationally recognized speakers who address business issues relevant to members of the technology community.

WIT sponsors a number of initiatives such as WIT Executive Coaching, Executive Roundtable, WIT Mentor and WIT's Executive Speakers Bureau.  WIT presents premier annual events including The Women of the Year in Technology Award, WIT's Best Employer Award and WIT Connect, which is WIT's annual fundraiser.  Through its philanthropic arm, the WIT Foundation, WIT organizes and funds programs like Girls-Get-IT and WIT on Track.  For more information on WIT, visit www.witinc.org.

About FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people.  Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering.  With the support of many of the world's most well-known companies, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Vex Challenge for high-school students, the FIRST LEGO® League for children 9-14 years old, and the Junior FIRST LEGO® League for 6 to 9 year-olds.  To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.

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Media Inquiries Contact:
Denise Doyle
PR & Marketing Director, WIT Foundation
ddoyle@knowledgestorm.com
770.605.8331