Date/Time Stamp: June 9, 2009

News Summary:

• Cisco and the Cisco Foundation today pledged a total of $4.5 million to City Year's Whole School Whole Child program, consisting of:
• Up to $1.5 million in cash from the Cisco Foundation during the next three years to continue enhancing the capabilities of the Whole School Whole Child program.
• Up to $3 million in product and services from Cisco to help build a 21st-century collaboration and communications platform using Web conferencing and other Web 2.0 capabilities, enabling City Year to more effectively and efficiently scale the Whole School Whole Child program around the United States.
• Cisco's total support of City Year, including the new $4.5 million commitment, amounts to more than $12 million, stretching back to 1993 when Cisco Chairman Emeritus John Morgridge recognized the innovation inherent in City Year's mission and helped the organization expand to San Jose.
• Cisco's commitment coincided with the two-day City Year National Leadership Summit, which focused on a national-service response to the dropout crisis, and also featured Arne Duncan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education; David Gergen, director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University; and Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.
• Cisco Foundation Executive Director Michael Yutrzenka participated in a panel discussion on national service and the dropout crisis moderated by Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for PBS' "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer."  Other panelists included Dr. Robert Balfanz,  research scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University; John Bridgeland, president and CEO, Civic Enterprises; Dr. Frederick Frelow,  program officer, Ford Foundation; Marguerite Kondracke, president and CEO, America's Promise Alliance.

Tags / Keywords:

Cisco, CSR, corporate social responsibility, citizenship, philanthropy

Links / URLs:

• Watch City Year CEO Michael Brown and Chancellor Michelle Rhee, DC Public Schools, discuss how City Year's Whole School Whole Child program mobilizes young adults to help kids succeed in school.
• Read the case study about Cisco's collaboration with City Year.
• Watch video about City Year's Leadership philosophy.
• Read Cisco 2008 Corporate Citizenship Report.

Quotes:

• Michael Yutrzenka, executive director, Cisco Foundation

"City Year's focus on developing innovative education methodologies that lead to measurable success for students is an initiative that Cisco wholeheartedly supports. As a longtime supporter of City Year's mission, Cisco is extremely pleased to take its commitment of the Whole School Whole Child program to a new level, especially in light of current economic conditions."

• Michael Brown, CEO and co-founder, City Year, Inc.

"Addressing the dropout crisis is going to take a nationwide effort that unites the private and public sectors to get students back on track to graduation,and Cisco is at the forefront of that leadership. The idealism of young Americans in service has even more impact when powered by the expertise and resources of Cisco. We are grateful for Cisco's deep belief in City Year, for their 15 year partnerships, and for this tremendously generous new investment to help get the right interventions to the right students at the right time to help students stay in school and on track."

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