Since 1968, SIM has molded the minds of the nation’s top IT professionals and has brought together a community of thought leaders to share their experiences and develop the next generation of leaders for the IT industry. The organization consists of over 40 chapters around the nation that each do their part in making sure that its members and community are being led down the path of success. Through resources like face-to-face meetings, online tools, and multiple publications, each member is given access to a wealth of knowledge they can implement into their professional development.
Bringing together technology leaders with their various communities, each SIM chapter makes it their mission to give back each year through philanthropic outreach, which includes different fundraising events, grants, and donations. An elected group of board members along with other volunteers has the honor of organizing these charitable activities. We got to speak with several chapters to highlight some of the most successful 2019 philanthropic events.
First, we spoke with, Dave Kelble (Chair-Elect / Sponsorship) from the
Philadelphia chapter and its philanthropic, sister organization, PHISIM, which started as a 501(C)3 10 years ago, focusing on charitable activities that involve Information Technology and the betterment of students and technology education. One event that really stuck out to him this year was at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, where attendees, both sponsors, and members got to enjoy food, cars, and networking.
As PHISIM’s current treasurer, Kelble reflected on the event, he credits its success to the fact that is was something different than what they have done in the past. Instead of having members attend the usual daytime sporting event, this event was a more formal evening affair.
Kelble also spoke to us about the chapter’s new December 2019 initiative called “PHISIM Giving Tuesday,” where members can donate to an activity of their choice. These activities include its scholarship program for underprivileged youth, Teen Tech Camp, and equipment donations through DonorsChoose.org. PHISIM works with these organizations and others throughout the year as well. To date, the chapter has raised more than $100,000 in tuition scholarships and has donated laptops/iPads to multiple elementary schools throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area in hopes to spark their interest in technology.
SIM Central Florida is another chapter that firmly believes in giving back. At their 2019 Holiday Party they presented four checks totaling $18,500 from their 2019 Golf Day proceeds to four organizations ... $8,000 to Year Up; $7,000 to Galaxy Middle School for STEM lab equipment and cyber competitions; $2,000 to Wekiva Elementary School for a student robotics initiative; and $1,500 to Milwee Middle School to elevate the STEM field for girls. We spoke with Chapter president Larry Di Gioia who said "These donations are the latest in SIM Central Florida's dynamic legacy of giving back -- to our community, to students and to our various fields of industry." In recent years SIM Central Florida has donated over $225,000 to STEM-related programs and continues to promote the growth of their region by creating new opportunities for others through important mentoring, scholarships, financial contributions and community involvement
Next, we spoke with Outreach co-chair, Craig Horgan from
SIM Boston. Boston’s Outreach Program committee has been around for over 15 years and is founded on giving back to its community by supporting local area programs that contribute to the vitality of the Information Technology profession. Each year the chapter raises funds to support its Community Outreach Programs and Outreach Partners by hosting two major events, the annual SIM Boston Golf Outing and the annual SIM Boston Technology Leadership Summit, which hosts over 500 attendees. These two events made it possible for the chapter to award 7 different grants to its partners, totaling $40,000 this year. Some of those Outreach Partners include Year Up Boston, Year Up Providence, Boston Public Schools, and Jr.Tech. In retrospect to its mission, SIM Boston has provided partners with over $350,000 in grants to-date, to help provide a positive community impact through IT and advance their efforts.
The passion SIM members have for their industry is truly unmatched. This devotion can be seen through the many outreach efforts completed by chapters throughout the year. It is these efforts that make SIM such a unique organization. For more examples of philanthropic efforts and outreach best practices,
click here. What was your chapter’s most successful philanthropic event of 2019? To be featured on SIM National, submit your story to Samantha Kresz, SIM’s Marketing Manager at Skresz@ahredchair.com.