Girls In Tech

As technology continues to advance, the devices in which we use are going out of style faster than the baggy, parachute-style pants made famous by MC Hammer. A prime example being the method in which we use to connect with our friends, family and clients – the cell phone. Depending on your carrier and calling plan, these phones can cost a pretty penny, and as we continually upgrade to the latest model, you might find yourself with an Island of Digital Misfit Toys.

But alas, Verizon Wireless is leading a mission to take the outcasted devices, and deliver them to new homes – after being refurbished of course. Verizon’s HopeLine® project is collecting no-longer-used wireless phones and equipment in any condition from any service provider, refurbishing or recycling them, and giving the funds raised by selling them, to non-profit domestic violence shelters and prevention programs across the country, giving your old phones new life once again. Through HopeLine’s recycling efforts, so far more than 200 tons of electronics waste and batteries have been kept out of landfills.

Via the Verizon HopeLine® website, you can read stories of folks in communities across the United States who have helped collect phones for HopeLine® and the difference they’ve made. This month, the greater Detroit area becomes one of those communities, as Verizon is planning on donating $25,000 to local Michigan nonprofit organizations which benefit domestic violence survivors and their families.

Want to help? Visit the Verizon HopeLine® website, and find out how easy it is to find new homes for your old digital devices.

Tags: cell phones, charity, donation, HopeLine, old devices, recycle, Verizon Wireless
Posted in All Chapters, Detroit | No Comments »

Unless you’re already a celebrity, how often do you get a chance to spend a Friday night walking across the red carpet on your way into a private VIP lounge to have a glass of bubbly?  Or discuss rock n’ roll inspired fashion with other influential women that come from a wide variety of industries?

My guess is not very often, which is exactly why coming to Fashion’s Night Out on September 10th in Beverly Hills, CA at Sak’s Fifth Avenue will be a night to remember (…or not to remember if you drink too much bubbly!).

As if the details above aren’t enough to make FNO a memorable night, there will also be opportunities for attendees to enjoy rock icon makeovers and receive backstage style tips from our resident fashionistas.  Further, you get 15% off any purchase and 5% of sales benefit Dress for Success, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing women with professional attire to thrive in work and life.

But wait…there’s more!  Spend $500 or more on Chloe merchandise and let their artist commemorate your new look with a one of a kind sketch in your new outfit.  The French fashion label offers luxurious style, accessories, fragrances, handbags, shoes, and more.

Why so much awesome in one night?

September 10th marks the first evening of New York Fashion Week, So, retailers across the world are celebrating by staying open late and hosting in-store events.  FNO was created to help retailers during a tough economy and encourage spending while connecting everything to a great cause.

So come out, splurge, and get pampered!  It’s the perfect opportunity to get your wardrobe and look ready for the fall and winter seasons.  And don’t worry, nobody leaves empty handed.  Every attendee will receive a swag bag, filled with freebies and goodies from our sponsors and promotional partners.

For more information and tickets:
http://gitfashion2010.eventbrite.com


Tags: 5th, ave, avenue, beverly, charity, chloe, dress, fashion, fashion's, fifth, for, hills, makeovers, night, out, saks, Style, sucess, wardrobe
Posted in All Chapters, Los Angeles | No Comments »

Are you one of the many out there who has some old electronics lying around? Perhaps an old gaming system you never use, an old flip phone covered in gems, or dare I say it, *gasp* an old beige desktop PC? For many households, these items become “outdated” rather quickly, and often stick around somewhere gathering dust, never to be used again. Today, with the help of many companies, you can recycle and donate your old gadgets. Some of these companies will clean up and resell the items, taking 100% of the profits and putting them into various charities, while others will actually refurbish the devices if possible, putting them in the hands of those in need, such as schools with little-to-no technology programs or budgets, to third world communities who really need the technology but can’t afford it.

So where can you go to donate your used tech toys? There are many resources, such as eBay’s Rethink Initiative / eBay Giving Works, which acts as a directory of resources for you to donate or recycle your gear. Others include Reconnect, a collaboration between Dell and Goodwill, that accepts items in any condition, and is as simple as dropping the items off to a local participating goodwill location. Check out the links at the bottom of this article for even more places to choose from.

Recycling or donating your gadgets is a great way to help others in need, and maybe even help clean up some more space around the house. Of course, for those wondering, there are often tax benefits and write-off’s as well if needed. Don’t forget, if donating pc’s, laptop’s, or cell phones, to be sure to delete and remove all personal or sensitive data from your device’s as well.

The next time you think to toss out that old ipod or personal dvd player, make sure to recycle or donate. You’ll save landfill space, and perhaps help someone less fortunate who could really use it.

Links:
http://www.recyclingforcharities.com/index.php

http://reconnectpartnership.com/whoweare.php

http://www.cristina.org/

http://close-the-gap.org/

http://mashable.com/2010/04/29/donating-electronics/

Tags: charitable, charity, donate, donation, Gadgets, gaming, girls in tech, GIT, iphone, recycle, tech, technology
Posted in All Chapters | 2 Comments »

Girls in Tech LA is very proud to announce our involvement in LA’s very own Twestival on the 25th. Started in 2009, Twestival is a fantastic event that brings together local social media communities in over a hundred cities to raise money for a very worthy cause.  

This year’s LA version of the popular festival is happening at the legendary Roxy Theatre, and proceeds are going to Concern Worldwide — which brings incredible educational programs to the world’s poorest and most marginalized children. Tickets are only $20, and well worth it, because the event is shaping up to be pretty great.

Our very own GIT LA member Shira Lazar is co-hosting, and entertainment includes Youtube’s official video mixing DJ-Mike Relm,  the TweetMuseum of one-of-a-kind celebrity Twitter art, the Polite in Public Digital Photo booth and 16 year-old DJ prodigy and music blogger Jake Simon. Plus, there’s going to be a surprise performance by a top alternative band that’s currently on tour. Not even we know who it is, but we do know we’re excited to find out.

You can find more info here.  And don’t forget to stop by the GIT LA area and say hi!

Tags: charity, event, Fundraiser, social media, twestival, twitter
Posted in Events, Los Angeles | No Comments »

This press release comes directly from Crisis Commons, who are doing such great work that we wanted to share them with all of our Girls in Tech. To learn more, or get involved, check out their site and follow them on Twitter.

Hundreds of CrisisCamp volunteers are gathering in an expanded number of cities to collaborate on information technology projects in support of disaster relief for post-earthquake Haiti. Initially launched last week in six locations in response to the crisis, the volunteer technology effort has rapidly grown to 12 cities in four countries.

CrisisCamps are in-person meetings of a new grassroots movement called CrisisCommons (http://www.crisiscommons.org), with a mission to share best practices for crisis response.

Montreal and Toronto in Canada,  as well as Bogota, Colombia, join London, UK as international locations. US gatherings will take place in: Boston; Denver; Los Angeles; Miami; New Orleans; Portland; Seattle; Sunnyvale, California; and Washington, D.C.

In just one week, CrisisCamp Haiti volunteers in five cities collaboratively conceived of and created “We Have, We Need” (http://www.wehaveweneed.org/) an online service to support the logistics of matching donors and relief organizations. CrisisCampers have also assisted organizations such as Ushahidi, Sahana and OpenStreetMap to generate free detailed basemap information for Haiti. The detailed digital maps have been useful to rescue teams by locating NGOs on the ground, source of available water and the locations of evacuee camps. Additionally, volunteers built and contributed data to mobile phone applications to allow those on the ground to report vital information such as the location of hospitals or missing persons. Nontechnical volunteers have been instrumental as well, as with one project requested by the United Nations that generated a definitive list of news sources covering the Haiti earthquake.

Development on these projects has continued even after CrisisCamp events are over through open source online collaborative tools, such as MediaWiki, Drupal and Internet Relay Chat. Projects underway include Language & Translation, Mobile Disaster Assessment Mapping, Family Reunification and Haitian Skilled Worker Retention. CrisisCamp creations are released under a free license, allowing anyone to use, copy or modify any volunteer efforts.

All of the applications and project descriptions can be found on the CrisisCommons website. Listed on the site are “Simple Tasks Anyone Can Do” with screencasts and step-by-step instructions to teach the Internet novice how they can participate.

“We are witnessing the development of a transformational change in how an average citizen can participate in the crisis response effort,” says CrisisCommons co-founder Noel Dickover.  “Previously you could only send money.  Now, you can directly help in the response. An existing social network of national and international first responders, web 2.0 developers, and NGOs had been established, so the immediate response was just a matter of galvanizing existing relationships.”

About CrisisCamp
CrisisCamp is a open, collaborative event held in “barcamp” style to provide local and international responders, community leaders of affected areas and non-governmental organizations an opportunity to engage with operations on the ground during a crisis. Tools and resources created by CrisisCamp volunteers are designed to enhance responders’ decision-making capability, transparency and collaboration.

About CrisisCommons
CrisisCommons brings together domain experts, developers, and first responders to develop technology and practices for humanitarian crisis management and disaster relief. CrisisCommons is part of a global movement that unites volunteers, academia, non-profits, companies and government officials in sharing best practices and lessons learned to advocate for further use of technology and telecommunications to assist citizens and communities during crisis.

Founded in March 2009 through an impromptu meetup of Twitter users at the Government 2.0 Camp, a small band of idealists and innovators gathered to discuss the idea of a creating a common community through a mash-up of citizen volunteers, crisis response organizations, international humanitarian relief agencies, non-profits and the private sector. Within minutes, the CrisisCamp concept was born to unite communities, seek common ground and cultivate innovation in the use of technology for mobility and efficiency during crisis.

Learn more about the movement at http://www.crisiscommons.org/

Tags: charity, IT, nonprofit, social media, socialgood, tech
Posted in All Chapters, Los Angeles | 1 Comment »

As women in a mostly male-dominated field, it’s easy to have a tenuous relationship with the idea of ‘beauty.’ After all, we want people to focus on the skills and savvy we bring to the table, and not necessarily on the brand of purse we put down on top of it. If you’re a female who deals regularly with developers, this balancing act can be even more precarious. How do you justify spending time on hair and makeup when most of the men you’re working with would rather worry about HTML than hygiene?

But, it’s hard to ignore the effect your appearance has on your confidence. And, any successful woman – or man for that matter – will tell you that confidence is a key component of that success. So, many of us still take the time to do our hair. To put on a little makeup. To pick out that perfect outfit. It doesn’t make us any less skilled or savvy, it just makes us feel a little better as we go about our daily business. What we don’t realize is how lucky we are to be able to do that for ourselves. And, that’s where GlamourGals comes in.

GlamourGals is an organization that arranges makeovers and beauty treatments for women in nursing homes. By hooking young women up with their elderly counterparts, the organization provides both parties with opportunities to foster meaningful relationships, and also helps those elderly women to get that same little beauty boost we all know and love. It also has an amazing social media component, in its use of a proprietary networking site for all of its chapters, which helps the organization keep infrastructure costs low and connectivity high. Started in 2000, GlamourGals is now having its tenth birthday party in LA, giving glamorous gals across the LA area the chance to celebrate and support this very worthy cause.

The party is at Bimi Restaurant, on February 25. There will be complementary cocktails, raffle prizes, food and gift bags, and the whole thing kicks off at 6pm. Hosts include Lauren Berger and Laurel Kaufman of our very own GIT LA chapter, and Girls in Tech members get $10 off ticket prices through the first week of February. So, break out your best beauty products and start primping – this is one event worth getting all dolled up for.

What: GlamourGals 10th Birthday Party

Where: Bimi Restaurant, 11917 Wilshire Blvd

When: Feb 25, 2010 (6-9pm)

Register Here

Tags: charity, event, Non-profit, party, social media
Posted in All Chapters, Events, Los Angeles | 3 Comments »

Are you ready for Halloween yet? We sure are, and this year, it’s time to take the focus away from cavity-creating candy and onto doing good around the world. Today, SocialVibe launched a new program called Click 4 Good, a virtual neighborhood of haunted houses where you can go trick or treating to benefit charity.

For each spooktacular door you knock on, you’ll be greeted not by a ghost or goblin, but by a donation that will be made to one of these incredibly worthy non-profits:

- Stand Up 2 Cancer: Aims to urgently move cancer research forward by advancing technology available to scientists and clinicians.
- charity: water: Provides clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
- The Surfrider Foundation: Dedicated to protecting and preserving our world’s oceans, waves and beaches.
- Keep a Child Alive: Provides life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, care and support to children and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India.

Each visit yields a specific impact, such as 18 gallons of water for people in need through charity: water or 1 hour of HIV/AIDS treatment for a child through KCA. After you earn your impact, you’ll have the opportunity to share it on Twitter or Facebook, encouraging your friends to do the same. Each time that friend goes trick or treating, the impact grows. This has amazing potential to create enormous positive social impact around the world.

Take advantage of your time online and get some trick or treating practice in a little early this year by visiting SocialVibe’s haunted house neighborhood at socialvibe.com/click4good.

Tags: causes, charity, good, halloween
Posted in Girls In Tech | No Comments »