Gary Mary West Dtechs

SAN DIEGO FUTURES FOUNDATION RECEIVES A $50,000 DONATION FROM THE GARY AND MARY WEST FOUNDATION FOR THEIR LIFE-CHANGING WORK IN THE COMMUNITY

The San Diego Futures Foundation (SDFF) received a $50,000 grant from the Gary and Mary West Foundation to support DiverseCity Tech, a youth-led social enterprise that provides a wide range of web development and marketing services tailored to the unique needs of small businesses and nonprofits. The grant supports a yearlong, paid internship program in which urban youth acquire skills and experience needed for in-demand occupations including website development, e-commerce, video production, graphic design, marketing and communications.

“This generous donation provides alternative pathways to success for these young people,” said Ken Harth, President of the SDFF Board of Directors. “There is also a social benefit for the community as the youth apply their knowledge to real-world business projects. City Heights is home to over 2500 small businesses that will be able to integrate these information technologies into their businesses.”

Businesses may select an array of IT products from DiverseCity Tech, including web design, automated systems and on-line marketing. Top Local Spot, a new video enhanced small business directory, will increase awareness for DiverseCity Tech clients and give business owners an online presence at a low cost. It also serves as a “foot in the door” opportunity to educate small businesses on the effectiveness of a web presence and the benefits of further developing an Internet strategy.

“By choosing DiverseCity Techs, businesses provide workforce development opportunities in our most challenging communities,” continued Ken Harth. “All profits go back into the community to fund our technology programs.” http://www.diversecitytech.com/ ABOUT US The San Diego Futures Foundation (SDFF) is a social enterprise created to establish accessibility to information technology resources, increase computer literacy, and provide training to enable a broader range of citizens to cross the digital divide. SDFF fulfills its mission by addressing three primary areas of need in the San Diego

community: access to technology and education, youth training, and technical services for nonprofit organizations. Over ten years, SDFF has provided almost 25,000 computers and 28,000 hours of technical support to San Diego nonprofits, community-based organizations, individuals, schools, and families. For more information: www.sdfutures.org. # # #