WIT Announces Partnership with Cool Girls

April 11, 2007 – ATLANTA, GA - Women in Technology (WIT), the leading association committed to the development of Georgia's businesswomen in the technology industry, today announced a sponsorship with Cool Girls, a non-profit agency that provides comprehensive after-school and out-of-school programs for girls in low-income communities.  As part of the agreement, WIT will provide financial contributions through its philanthropic arm, the WIT Foundation to support the Cool Girls "Cool Tech" program.

Cool Girls provides girls in the program with a comprehensive array of services including tutoring, life-skills development, community service learning projects and mentoring.  To ensure that every girl can access its programs, Cool Girls does not charge a fee, offers its services at school sites, and arranges transportation to the girls' individual homes.  Cool Girls participants are in 3rd through 8th grades at 10 schools in Fulton and Dekalb Counties.  The organization has received many prestigious awards, among them are the "Use Your Life" Award from Oprah's Angel Network in 2003, presented to Cynthia Tucker and the Presidential Volunteer Award presented to Joan Thomas by President Bush in 2006.  Both Tucker and Thomas are Cool Sisters mentors.

"WIT is very excited to offer its support to an organization that is helping to develop and strengthen the young women who will one day play a bigger role in our competitive global business and technology communities," said Sue Miller, president, WIT Foundation.  "This group has found a unique approach to reach young women from low-income communities in a meaningful way.  With sponsorship of the "Cool Tech" program, WIT is able to continue its mission to educate and elevate women in the field of technology."

"Receiving the support from our community and organizations such as WIT for our programs, including Cool Tech, enables us to educate and empower these young women to aspire to careers that they may originally have not considered, such as technology," said Linda Rothermel, Board Chair, Cool Girls.  "Cool Girls delivers a combination of leadership, life skills training and mentoring that helps the young women in our program develop the confidence and skill set that will make them such valuable future leaders."

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

WIT sponsors a number of programs such as WIT Executive Coaching, Girls Get IT, WIT Mentor and WIT's Executive Speakers Bureau.  WIT presents premier annual events including The Women of the Year in Technology Award and WIT Connect, which is WIT's annual fundraiser.  Through its philanthropic arm, the WIT Foundation, WIT funds scholarships and partners with programs encouraging more women to participate in the science & technology industry.  For more information on WIT and the WIT Foundation, visit www.witinc.org.

About Cool Girls
Cool Girls is dedicated to the self-empowerment of girls in low-income communities.  We provide the tools to help girls make positive choices to achieve academic success, break the cycles of teen pregnancy and poverty and to overcome the barriers of racism and sexism.  Our programs instill confidence and provide exposure to a broader world of opportunity through mentoring relationships, community service learning projects, health and life skills education and academic support.  Our mission is achieved through the collaborative efforts of volunteers, staff, schools and the local community in active partnership with the girls and their parents.  For more information on COOL GIRLS, visit www.thecoolgirls.org.

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Media Inquiries Contact:
Marti Breen
WIT PR & Marketing
mbreen@witinc.org
404.815.7222