Fuente : Cisco Systems
http://www.cisco.com/

Cisco Systems Foundation Awards $765,000 to 66 Bay Area Non- Profits

Teach for America, Local Teacher Training Program, To Receive Funding

/noticias.info/ SAN JOSE, Calif., August 10, 2005 - Today, the Cisco Systems Foundation announced a new round of San Jose Impact Grants that will support 66 non-profits within a 50-mile radius of Cisco's headquarters. A total of $765,000 will be awarded to non-profit organizations who provide services such as teacher training, technology and art education for youth and adults, health services for low income families, and food and shelter for the area's homeless.

With this latest round of grants, Cisco has awarded just over $1.5 million to area non-profits during the past fiscal year.

"At Cisco, we are dedicated to building stronger, more productive and self-sustaining communities," said Michael Yutrzenka, Executive Director, Cisco Systems Foundation. "We continue to be impressed by the tireless work and dedication of these Bay Area non-profits, and we are proud to support them in their endeavors."

One of the grant recipients is the Bay Area office of Teach for America, a national non-profit organization that recruits perspective teachers from top colleges, trains them and places them in the nation's highest-need public schools in urban and rural areas. Since its inception in 1990, more than 12,000 college graduates have joined Teach for America and have directly impacted the lives of 1.75 million students nationwide. Currently, there are 145 Teach for America teachers working in 59 public schools in Bay Area communities including Oakland, San Jose, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Contra Costa County.

"We believe our nation must channel its most promising future leaders toward the fight to eliminate the gap in educational outcomes that persists in our country along socio-economic and racial lines," said Wendy Kopp, President and Founder, Teach For America. "The Cisco Systems Foundation's generous financial assistance will enable us to recruit and train outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors to teach in the Bay Area's most under-resourced communities and to become lifelong leaders in pursuit of educational excellence and equity."

In addition to Teach for America, Cisco awarded grants to two other non-profits that provide training for area teachers. The Bay Area School Reform Collaborative hosts professional development workshops for principals and teachers to expand and enhance their skills for leading and sustaining improvement in student achievement. These workshops will potentially impact the education of over 340,000 students in largely under-served and poorly-performing school districts.

Community Resources for Science (CRS) recruits and trains professional scientists to serve as volunteer classroom assistants in Alameda County elementary schools. These volunteers help to improve science curriculum, demonstrate real-world science applications and serve as role models for students who otherwise may not be interested in science.

"Quality education is a key to social and economic success," said Cisco's Yutrzenka. "By training teachers, these non-profits contribute to the greater good of the community."

The San Jose Impact Grants reflect the Cisco Systems Foundation's dedication to providing basic human needs to overcome the cycle of poverty, granting access to education to foster opportunity, and promoting responsible citizenship. Since the inception of the grant awards in 1993, the program has awarded more than 1,040 community grants amounting to approximately $14.5 million to Bay Area non-profit organizations.

About the Cisco Systems Foundation
The Cisco Systems Foundation was established in 1997 by a gift from Cisco Systems, Inc. As Corporate Philanthropy's primary cash investment vehicle, the Foundation provides grants to select organizations with long-lasting, local or global impact. More information on the Cisco Systems Foundation is available at www.cisco.com/go/foundation.

About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, this year celebrates 20 years of commitment to technology innovation, industry leadership and corporate social responsibility. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

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