SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - November 30, 2009) - NVIDIA Corp. (
NASDAQ:
NVDA), in conjunction
with City Year Silicon Valley and the City of San Jose, today announced
that McKinley Elementary School and Community Center will be the
beneficiaries of 2009's "Project Inspire," the company's annual social
responsibility initiative.
On Saturday, Dec. 5, more than 1,000 NVIDIA employees and community
volunteers will gather to make more than $320,000 worth of improvements to
the school. In addition to providing manpower, NVIDIA and sponsors will
also invest $250,000 cash into the renovations.
"I'm thrilled NVIDIA has chosen McKinley School and Community Center," said
San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo. "This partnership leverages resources,
but, more importantly, it provides an incredible opportunity for the
families and children in the Five Wounds neighborhood and acknowledges the
hard work and investment residents have made in their community."
Every year since 2001, NVIDIA has taken the money it would have spent on a
holiday party and instead has invested it into the local community. NVIDIA
partners with low-income schools and organizes a day of community service
with its employees to provide transformative upgrades. McKinley
Elementary School, in the downtown San Jose neighborhood of Five
Wounds/Brookwood Terrace, was chosen for its commitment to improving the
neighborhood and to addressing pressing community issues such as gang
violence and substance abuse. McKinley serves 500 students -- 91%
participate in a free or reduced priced lunch program, 74% are English
language learners and the majority come from low-income households.
McKinley also serves as a neighborhood "hub" for thousands of San Jose
residents who use the community center, playgrounds and sports fields. San
Jose Redevelopment Agency's Strong Neighborhoods Initiative and
CommUniverCity have already been working with residents to improve the
facilities and foster the strong community feel. NVIDIA's contributions
through Project Inspire will further increase the community's commitment to
maintaining McKinley as an education and recreation destination for the
neighborhood.
"NVIDIA is proud of our annual tradition of replacing staff holiday parties
with more meaningful initiatives to support our local communities," said
Tonie Hansen, Sr. Programs Manager, Social Responsibility, NVIDIA. "This
year, we are thrilled to be partnering with City Year and the City of San
Jose to improve McKinley Elementary School and Community Center. Clearly,
the local community is dedicated to self-improvement, and we are pleased
that we can use our resources to help them in their journey."
Projects to be completed at McKinley on Dec. 5 include:
- Complete repainting of the school and community center
- Building outdoor classroom and community gathering place
- Remodeling the community center and two computer labs
- Coordinating employee donations of computers for classrooms
- Painting murals throughout the school and community center
- Improving playgrounds and sports fields
- Landscaping the adjacent community park
- Building storage space for classrooms
"City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley is proud to partner with NVIDIA and the
City of San Jose for NVIDIA'S annual Project Inspire," said Beach Pace,
Executive Director City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley. "It is exactly this
kind of public/private partnership that allows us to have a meaningful
impact on the long-term challenges that Silicon Valley faces and work
together to improve our schools and communities. We are excited about this
partnership and cannot wait to see the promising results of the day."
For more information about Project Inspire or to get involved, please visit
http://www.nvidia.com/content/project_inspire/project_inspire09.html.
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (
NASDAQ:
NVDA) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics
when it invented the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999. Since then, it
has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking,
interactive graphics available on devices ranging from portable media
players to notebooks to workstations. NVIDIA's expertise in programmable
GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make
supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. Fortune magazine has
ranked NVIDIA #1 in innovation in the semiconductor industry for two years
in a row. For more information, see
www.nvidia.com.
About City Year
City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley is celebrating its 16th year of service
in the Silicon Valley. City Year unites young people, ages 17 to 24, from
all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and
opportunities to change the world. As tutors, mentors, and role models,
these young leaders make a difference in the lives of children and
transform schools and neighborhoods across the United States and in South
Africa. For more information, see
www.cityyear.org.
About the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative
The Strong Neighborhoods Initiative is a partnership of the community, City
of San Jose, and the San Jose Redevelopment Agency to build clean, safe,
and attractive neighborhoods with independent and capable neighborhood
organizations. The San Jose Redevelopment Agency Board/City Council adopted
the Redevelopment Plan in 2002.
www.strongneighborhoods.org.
Contact Information: Contacts:
Tonie Hansen
NVIDIA Corporation
(650) 283-6160
Megan O'Leary
City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley
(408) 907-6545
Ragan Henninger
Office of Councilmember Liccardo
(408) 535-4929