News

Cool Tech Program -
The Cool Girls, Inc.
www.thecoolgirls.org/cooltech.asp

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 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.

Women's Technology Program -
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
wtp.mit.edu

WIT Foundation Donation Helps Support Two Georgia Female Students' Participation in the Prestigious MIT Women's Technology Program

July 18, 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 that it has donated money to contribute to the participation of two Georgia female students accepted to the MIT Women's Technology Program.  This highly selective program accepts just 40 participants each year from a nationwide applicant pool of young women who have demonstrated outstanding academic talent in math and science.

The Women's Technology Program is a residential summer program in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to introduce high school girls to EECS in the summer after 11th grade.  The four-week program includes rigorous classes in computer science, electrical engineering, and mathematics taught by women PhD candidates in the MIT EECS Department, and allows girls to explore through hands-on labs and team-based projects.

"WIT is pleased to have the opportunity to support these talented young women in pursuing their education in math and science in one of the most prestigious summer programs in the country," said Sue Miller, President, WIT Foundation.  "The WIT Foundation is committed to helping girls and young women discover and develop their interest in careers in technology.  This program is a perfect fit for our mission."