You are probably aware that Technology First stands on three pillars: To Connect, Strengthen, and Champion our IT community. What you may wonder is how. 

We Connect by offering our members numerous opportunities every month to network with peers and industry leaders.

We Strengthen by transferring knowledge of industry trends and emerging technology through our two major conferences each year, ToIT and OISC and working in partnership with both IT consumers and IT providers every day.

And one way we Champion our technology community is through our volunteer work.

Last month, Technology First held our 9^th annual Golf Outing. The event raises money for the Technology First Scholarship fund. These scholarships are awarded every year to one or more deserving regional college students. So far, we have helped students from Cedarville University, Central State University, Clark State University, Miami University Middletown, Sinclair Community College, University of Dayton, Wilberforce University, Wright State University, Ohio State University and Xavier University. To be selected, students must be currently majoring in Information Technology-related curriculums, achieved distinguished academic success, and demonstrated authentic character and values, among other rigorous criteria. Here is what winning one of the scholarships means to a recipient:

“Thank you Technology First for your investment in my future as well as the futures of all the other students who received scholarships. The monies will be going directly to my tuition payments to help ease my student debt and make my studies a little lighter”.   ~ Caleb V.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s golf outing. See a few photos from the event at the end of this post. Your generosity raised nearly $7,000. This brings our total donations for the past nine years to over $100,000! We could not provide this resource without both your support and the support of our sponsors; Horizon, Independents Fiber Network and aunalytics.

And that is not all Technology First does to help students discover their place in the IT industry. This month, we will host the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio (GSWO) for their annual Cyber Challenge. The purpose of the Challenge is to grow and shape the future of IT in the Dayton region by getting girls excited about careers in cybersecurity. The Cyber Challenge presents the girls with scenarios of cyber breaches. It is a unique event because the Challenge is designed by girls for girls.    

Then in November, Technology First will participate in the Career Adventure Day event hosted by the Dayton Metro Library. Partnering with organizations including DRMA, CareSource, SOCHE, Dayton Children’s, and many others, we will promote IT career-path opportunities to middle school students using interactive, engaging, hands-on activities.

It's no secret Technology First is all about promoting awareness that every business is a technology business. We exist to help shape the future of IT. It’s also no secret that you support those purposes too. We are always looking for volunteers to champion these efforts alongside us. You could serve as a committee member, event volunteer, Peer Resource Group leader, or any number of satisfying roles. Please email me at mcutcher@technologyfirst.org to learn more.