CHRIS PAGANO * cpagano@semissourian.com

SBC Foundation Awards $10,000 technology Grant to Southeast Chapter of American Red Cross

Cynthia Brinkley president of SBC Missouri, left, presents a technology grant award of $10,000 to Mary Burton executive director of the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The SBC Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications Inc., awarded $9 million to nonprofit organizatons through the 2003 SBC Excelerator competitve technology grants program. The SBC Excelerator was founded on the idea that technology access and resources can improve the lives of people in communities across the nation. Southeast Missourian

At an event recently held at the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross in Cape Girardeau, executive director Mary Burton was presented a $10,000 technology grant from The SBC Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications, Inc.

Introduced in 2002, SBC Excelerator, the signature giving program of the SBC Foundation, funds projects that use technology to build stronger communities.

SBC Excelerator funding will support a two-fold technology plan which includes a file server network to enhance intra-office communication and increasing staff technology abilities through inservice training.

Burton commended the staff members at the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross for dedication and excellent skills in grant writing.

Cynthia Brinkley, president of SBC Missouri, explained this is an extremely competitive grant and said, "The Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross is a great example of an organization that's doing it right."

Burton announced that SBC will be receiving training in CPR and first aid on the third Wednesday of every month.