CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - August 2, 2010) - The annual SmartBet Charity Poker Tournament raises funds to support educational organizations who serve underprivileged students in Chicago. The tournament brings together the Chicago technology community and supporters of education for an evening of poker, networking and fundraising to strengthen urban education in technology. The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is a proud co-organizer of this year's event.
SmartBet is the outcome of a group of like-minded technology entrepreneurs who enjoy poker and want to actively improve access to technology education for high school students and underemployed adults in Chicago. During one of the group's monthly poker nights, the discussion turned to the need to improve access to technology education in the city, and SmartBet was born!
The proceeds of each SmartBet event are donated to local technology education organizations, who are dedicated to improving the technology education of the future workers, leaders and entrepreneurs in the city of Chicago. The 2010 beneficiaries include Chicago Academy of Advanced Technology (CAAT), Future Founders, and icstars.
The Chicago Academy of Advanced Technology (CAAT) is a new Chicago public high school launched in 2009. CAAT has seen amazing results in the past year, including a 96% attendance rate, which is a full 12% higher than the Chicago Public School average. 40% of students earned a B or better in every first semester subject, and 75% of students are on-track to graduate. Additionally, student test scores showed strong improvement, with 85% more students at or above grade level in Math by the end of the school year. One of the highlights of the past school year includes a visit from Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. Mr. Ballmer visited CAAT, discussing the need for programs like CAAT and reinforcing the support of Microsoft. Mr. Ballmer donated equipment to the school including a new Microsoft Surface computer.
Future Founders was created to give motivated high-school students in Chicago's underserved neighborhoods the opportunity to learn about and even experience entrepreneurship during the school year from some of the city's most successful leaders. The goal is to expose students to entrepreneurial careers and have them create complete business plans. In the 2009-10 school year, Future Founders worked with classes at five schools: Brooks, ACE, CVCA, GVA and SOE. Over 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the majority of the students in the program are African American and Hispanic. On July 28, 2010 Mayor Richard M Daley passed a resolution, adopted by the Chicago City Council, congratulating the winners of the 2010 Future Founders Citywide Business Plan Competition, reinforcing the commitment of the City to the Future Founders program.
i.c.stars provides information technology career programs and services that strengthen the leadership potential of Chicago's inner city adults through project-based learning and full-immersion teaching. The program began in 1999 and has graduated 180 participants to date. i.c.stars pays participants a stipend twice per month during the four-month internship. After completing the i.c.stars program, 95% of recent graduates entered the work force, including placement in Accenture, SPSS, and Siemens, as examples.
SmartBet features a no limit 'texas hold 'em' tournament, complete with food, open bar, and a professional staff of dealers. Held in the Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center, it is a beautiful setting to celebrate Chicago, technology, and give back, all at the same time.
Sponsorships are available and offer a wide variety of participation levels. Ticket prices are $250 per person for the evening. Spectator tickets are $100 each. To sponsor, purchase tickets, or for more information, visit www.smartbet.org.
About the ITA
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is a driving force behind the growth of Illinois' vibrant technology ecosystem. We are relentless in championing the development and application of technology, from start-up companies to industry leaders, leveraging the transformative nature of technology to revolutionize industries. ITA uniquely capitalizes peer-to-peer collaboration, networking, and access to experts across the breadth of business to cultivate the Illinois technology industry. The unique and powerful integration of these valuable and experienced resources differentiates the ITA as the source of accelerated growth for the technology industry of Illinois.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Dorothy Radke
Illinois Technology Association
312.924.1044
dradke@illinoistech.org