UBM Channel Transforms Boys & Girls Club through Successful Channel@Work Program

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM Channel today recounted another successful Channel@Work project. The Channel@Work Teen Center Makeover took place during the XChange 2012 event this past August in Dallas, Texas. Thanks to the generous underwriter support of Microsoft, the project transformed the Richardson Boys & Girls Club teen room into a space that will both attract more teens from the neighborhood and provide them with a variety of opportunities for learning, relaxation, and fun.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121001/NY83912 )

The Richardson Boys & Girls Club serves all school age children 6-18 in the neighborhood, but has had difficulty gaining traction with the teens.  The room's space was a challenge; it lacked the resources to attract teens from the nearby school, who were boarding a bus to go to another Club or not attending a Club at all.  After just four hours and a lot of hard work on the part of volunteers, the Richardson Boys & Girls Club now has an updated space that is stocked with the proper materials to support a curriculum that will attract and engage teens. The Club has the after school resources it needs with an inviting environment for teens to do homework, participate in games and programs, or just hang out.

+Watch the video to see the volunteer team in action!

"Through the Channel@Work program, we are given the opportunity to support organizations that give back to the community and help people reach their full potential," said Eric Martorano, senior director of SMB channels for Microsoft.  "What our volunteers did at the Richardson Boys & Girls Club will leave a lasting impression on all who pass through these doors.  We value our donors who write checks to support us, but it means a lot to have a team of people open their hearts and actually come in to work alongside us. The Channel@Work team did just that through this project."

Thanks to Microsoft, the teen program received: arts & crafts supplies, board games, summer reading books, musical instruments, BGCA manuals, pool & foosball tables, desks, chairs, couches, Fatboy bean bag chairs, shelves, homework tables, a rug, blinds, a safe, and a security system. Technology & more wish list donors including Dell, Eaton, Fortinet, Intel, Ipswitch WhatsUpGold, McAfee, Microsoft, Reflexion, Ruckus, Samsung and Symantec, provided desktop computers with a 16 node switch, UPSs, printer, 46" TV, Blu-Ray dvd player, Xbox & games, and digital cameras. They also donated gift cards to help the Club build out whatever they need for the after school programs once the additional teens start to engage.

"What we asked Microsoft and the Channel@Work team to do was help re-do our teen room – but what they did was simply phenomenal," said Tiffini Miller, Program Director, Richardson Boys & Girls Club. "The incredible team of volunteers and generous donors has given us every means possible to serve the community by getting teens actively involved in a productive and positive program."

Channel@Work is the charitable component of XChange events. The program is designed to bring the technology community together to connect and give back to the local communities that host the events throughout the year.  For more information on the program, please visit:  http://www.xchange-events.com/about-us/giving-back/. 

For more coverage on the Microsoft Teen Center project, please visit our:

+ Slide Show on CRN.com

+ Photo Album on the XChange Events Facebook

About UBM Channel

UBM Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With more than 30 years of experience and engagement, UBM Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives, managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. UBM Channel is a UBM company. To learn more about UBM Channel, visit us at http://www.ubmchannel.com. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ubmchannel.

UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

UBM plc is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

SOURCE UBM Channel