We continue our commitment to our long-term partners to help them realize their goals.
American Cancer Society Relay for Life
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives from cancer, and diminishing from cancer through research, education, advocacy, and service. Joining in the fight against cancer, SGI continues to sponsor the Relay for Life in Chippewa Falls. The Relay for Life, the national signature event of the American Cancer Society, is an 18-hour celebration of life in honor of those whose lives have been touched by cancer and in memory of those who have died of the disease. SGI employees, families, and friends join relay teams who walk, jog, or run around the track for one goal--to raise money through donations to help in the fight against cancer. Teams camp out at the track, building friendships and camaraderie as they celebrate life and the fact that cancer can be defeated, while raising funds for ongoing cancer-control programs.
Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce
SGI is a member of the Chippewa Chamber, joining with other businesses in the effort to promote the Chippewa Falls area as a great place to do business, live, and visit. SGI actively supports the chamber in its mission and activities to accomplish community efforts and improve the quality of life.
Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology
The long-held dream of a technology-based museum came true in Chippewa Falls with the opening of the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology (CFMIT) in May of 1998. CFMIT's roots are tied to Cray Research, and as a charter member in 1998, SGI assisted the museum in accomplishing its goals and fulfilling its mission--to interpret a rich, varied history of manufacturing and processing that began in Chippewa Falls in the 1840s and continues today.
Exhibits and tours at CFMIT introduce a group of historical representing the evolution of Seymour Cray's thinking and exploring how computers make a difference in your everyday life, even if you've never seen one! A part of history, a part of the future, CFMIT inspires young people to pursue careers in technology.
SGI recently donated systems to the museum that will allow visitors and students to experience present and future technology. Employees are key in SGI's relationship with the museum. They have served on the museum's board of directors, assisted in building preparation, acted as tour guides and front desk support, and completed collection work, documentation and preservation, exhibit installation, and acquisition
City Year--San Jose/Silicon Valley
City Year is an innovative and multifaceted organization that seeks to address unmet community needs, break down barriers of class and race, inspire citizens to civic action, and strengthen the bonds of community. By tapping the energy and commitment of young people, City Year puts idealism to work. City Year is a private-public partnership supported by corporations, foundations, individuals, states and localities, and the AmeriCorps National Service Network. Corporations invest in City Year not only by financially backing teams of corps members, but also by joining the corps members in their service projects and offering full-time employment opportunities for City Year graduates.
Community School of Music & Art
Since 1968 the Community School of Music & Arts (CSMA) has been a nonprofit center for arts education. By providing year-round programs for all ages, skill levels, and interests, the school's faculty has reached over 250,000 area residents. CSMA welcomes everyone to share in the gifts of education, culture, and self-expression through participation in their programs.
City Year's national youth service program unites a diverse group of 17- to 24-year-old young people for months of rigorous, full-time community service, leadership development, and civic engagement. Founded in Boston in 1998, City Year has established programs in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Detroit, New Hampshire, New York, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, San Antonio, San Jose/Silicon Valley, Seattle/King County, and Washington, D.C.
Cray Academy
A partnership in the Chippewa Valley devoted to teaching practices and student achievement in K-12 educational systems, the Cray Academy has become the template for the development of other academies across Wisconsin. The two-week summer institute is designed to improve mathematics, science, and technology education for K-12 teachers. Training is based on a hands-on, minds-on approach, using cooperative learning and problem solving rather than a traditional textbook-based approach. SGI has been the business and industry cornerstone of the academy, and since 1989 has offering its site as a tour site, building connections between learning and experiences to workplaces and communities. As a partner with the Cray Academy, SGI sponsors workshops focused on innovative and proven practices to integrate employee participation on the academy board, facilitates business and industry discussion workshops during the sessions, and is involved in other volunteer activities for the Cray Academy. The Cray Academy is a tremendous success. The Cray Academy and SGI share a common goal with the larger Chippewa Valley commnity of preparing students to succeed in all adult roles they will serve.
Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley & Monterey
Junior Achievement is the largest, fastest-growing, nonprofit economic education organization in the world, reaching over 4 million elementary, middle school, and high school students in the U.S. and 106 countries worldwide.
By partnering with business and education, Junior Achievement recruits volunteer role models who link education to the workplace through their diverse outside perspectives. Volunteers provide five weekly visits at the elementary level or up to 10 visits at the middle and high school levels. These hands-on activities supplement the regular classroom curriculum with business, economics, education, and workforce readiness lessons.
Sequential, age-appropriate activities are designed for each grade level. This highly interactive curriculum stresses the relevance of education to the workplace and helps prepare students for lifelong learning, teaching them about the importance of staying in school and what skills they will need to join tomorrow's workforce.
Junior Achievement secures the funding and recruits the volunteers to provide programs. Foundations, individuals, and others contribute financial and volunteer resources, as do various organizations that also want to invest in the quality of local education.
Mountain View Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1922, the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce is a Silicon Valley-based public benefit corporation dedicated to enhancing the economic viability of the community. Funded by its membership of over 600 organizations and businesses, the chamber serves as the collective voice of local business and industry. Through progressive leadership, the organization offers programs and services that support members, and in turn, support the community. Each September, the Chamber's annual Art & Wine Festival draws over 200,000 visitors to Mountain View. SGI is a member of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, joining with other businesses in the effort to promote the Bay Area as a great place to do business, live, and visit. SGI actively supports the chamber in its mission and activities to accomplish community efforts and improve the quality of life.
RAFT
RAFT (Resource Area for Teachers) is located in San Jose, California, and is a nonprofit organization that provides large quantities of low-cost educational materials and training to teachers so that they can teach in an interactive way. RAFT offers companies an on-site assessment that identifies reusable items and arranges for their pickup. The payoff: Companies view RAFT as a way to improve education while reducing their business disposal costs and making use of materials that would otherwise be discarded. RAFT has over 5,500 members, reaching about 700,000 children. RAFT is changing the way teachers teach, providing its members with exciting and unique hands-on materials and ideas that support creative teaching, especially in the areas of science, math, technology, and art. RAFT is a focal point for community investment of time, materials, and dollars in education.
San Jose State University
The year 2000 was the inaugural year for the animation program at San Jose State University. During the first year of our alliance with SJSU we helped plan, coordinate, and prepare for the installation of the computerized SGI Animation Lab. Fall 2000 marked the opening of the lab and the first year of instruction on Silicon Graphic® O2® systems. During the first year alone, students have completed short films and animation tests and have submitted digital work to the ASIFA Student Film Festival and to the 2001 Ottawa Film Festival. Through SGI's ongoing involvement with the animation program, we have been able to provide support for faculty education, student scholarships, and industry guest speakers (including lecturers from Warner Brothers, Pixar, Disney, and National Geographic). Students of the program have successfully secured internships with top studios. Upon graduation from the program, students have a nearly 100% employment rate in the animation industry.
Teach for America (TFA)
Teach for America recruits individuals from all academic areas to teach for two years in under-resourced public schools. TFA corps members are trained in a five-week intensive institute, where they receive guidance from veteran teachers and learn best practices to help students in under-resourced schools and communities to excel. Once corps members have completed their two years teaching, many remain in the profession. Others leave the classroom but remain in the field of education, and still others take a unique perspective into fields such as law, medicine, public policy, and business. Teach for America's mission is "one day all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education."
The Green Grid
The Green Grid is a global consortium of companies dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and computing ecosystems. The Green Grid does not endorse any vendor-specific products or solutions, and will seek to provide industry-wide recommendations on best practices, metrics and technologies that will improve overall data center energy efficiencies. Membership is open to companies interested in data center operational efficiency at the Contributing or General Member level. General members attend and participate in general meetings of The Green Grid, review proposals for specifications and have access to specifications for test suites and design guidelines and IP licensing. Additional benefits for contributor members include participation and voting rights in committees and working groups.
The Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech is a cosmopolitan museum singularly focused on technology--how it works and how it is changing every aspect of the way we work, live, play, and learn. Its focus on people and technology and the integration of advanced technologies into visitor experiences and infrastructure distinguishes it from other science centers.
The Tech Museum of Innovation is a magnet that draws teachers, young people, and families from the entire Bay Area and, increasingly, the U.S. for a special kind of learning experience. The Tech's hands-on exhibits provide people of all ages and backgrounds an opportunity to explore, experience, and better understand the technologies that affect our lives. The Tech's special programs for teachers and students stimulate new types of classroom activities and learning, and they give science, math, and technology new meaning and relevance to youngsters. Every day, the Tech seeks to inspire the young, especially to become innovators in the technologies of the future.
SGI is proud to be closely involved with the Tech. Many SGI employees regularly volunteer their time to advise the Tech on new exhibits, to work as volunteers, and to be on call as technical experts. If you haven't visited the Tech yet, you should do it. If you have kids, take them. They will love it!
