Bailey's Community Center Computer Clubhouse Launches Partnership with PowerUP

Fairfax County, Virginia - The Bailey's Community Center Computer Clubhouse, operated by the Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services and supported by the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation, will launch a new partnership with PowerUP. This announcement will be made during the Springdale Civic Association's 32nd Annual Community Picnic, Saturday, August 24 at Bailey's Community Center, 5920 Summers Lane, Bailey's Crossroads at 1:00 p.m. Mason District Supervisor Penelope Gross will make the announcements. Representatives from PowerUP and the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation will be present. This celebration will also mark the first anniversary of the opening of the Bailey's Community Center Computer Clubhouse.

During the Clubhouse's first year, over 170 children have registered to become regular users of the facility. In its first year, the site has logged over 5,000 visits by students, adults and senior citizens anxious to improve their computer skills and learn more about current innovations in technology. With a $10,000 grant from the Best Buy Foundation, a new music studio was recently created at the Clubhouse enabling children to add music to their web pages and create their own music CD's. Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation arranged for the PowerUP funding and established the agreement for Bailey's Community Center Computer Clubhouse to become a PowerUP center.

PowerUP, based in McLean, Virginia, is a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping young people succeed in the digital age. PowerUP is located in 960 centers in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Based in community centers around the country, PowerUP provides a comprehensive partner-based program, delivered in community and education-based locations, to give under served young people the skills, experiences and resources they need to build a successful future. More than fifty major corporations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies have come together as benefactors to form partnerships with PowerUP.

PowerUP promotes the positive youth development goals of America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth, a national organization founded by General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret), that is dedicated to mobilizing people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of our nation's youth.

The Clubhouse offers a strong after-school homework program. Through the PowerUP organization, The AOL Time Warner Foundation has provided 125 AOL e-mail accounts for online programming. This gift is valued at $35,850 annually. Having Internet access allows young people to use the Internet through secure browsers that block inappropriate content. They learn how to master the technical skills necessary to succeed in the digital age.

Bailey's Community Center Computer Clubhouse was started and has been very successful because of the public/private partnership between Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services and other County agencies, and the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation. The center is staffed by 1 full-time staff person and 2 AmeriCorps*VISTA members. Bailey's Community Center Computer Clubhouse is the 2nd of 2 computer clubhouses opened in Fairfax County by CRS and NVTC. The other clubhouse was opened in 1999 at Gum Springs Community Center in the Route One Corridor of Alexandria.

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About the NVTC Foundation
The NVTC Foundation was founded to encourage and facilitate corporate efforts to give something back to the community and specifically looks for community initiatives based in Northern Virginia that include technology as an important component in their mission. It is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The NVTC Foundation is affiliated with the Northern Virginia Technology Council, a membership organization of more than 1,300 companies representing nearly 170,000 people involved in the technology industry in the Northern Virginia region. More information about the programs that it supports can be found on its Web site at www.nvtc.org/foundation.