Press Release
"Communities in Schools" Latest Beneficiary of NAW Mentoring Initiative
National Association of Webmasters and Al Checchi Promote Training
Sacramento, CA November 5th, 1997: The National Association of Webmasters announced today that its successful nationwide "Urban Pioneers" webmaster mentoring program is back in Californiažthis time in Anaheim at the "Connected Classroom Conference," (November 5-8), an event dedicated to the use of the Internet in the classroom sponsored by the Classroom Connect (http://www.classroom.net), online resources for K-12 educators and students. NAWs webmaster trainees will be selected from the "Communities in Schools" non-profit program founded by Blinky Rodriguez. Also co-sponsoring the two webmaster trainees is the "Checchi for Governor" campaign. Checchi, 49-year-old former co-chairman of Northwest Airlines, officially launched his bid for the California Democratic gubernatorial nomination with a commitment to reduce State government by 10% and put the savings into schools, a position that immediately attracted the attention of NAW.
"Mr. Checchi and Mr. Rodriguez are exactly the kind innovators that we want to help bring to national attention and the 'Connected Classroom Conference' is the right place to do it," said William B. Cullifer, executive director of the National Association of Webmasters. "Grass roots support for using technology to give inner city young adults a boost into the mainstream is a win for all concerned. Mr. Rodriguez gains widespread attention by identifying qualified young people from poor neighborhoods to attend webmaster classes; we help to train them, which helps us extend our 'urban pioneers' program to other venues; Mr. Checchi sought to employ them to work on his website. His campaign benefits both from having a great online presence and from being able to contribute to the development of valuable skills to qualify for jobs in one of the fastest growing industries in the country. That's the kind of participation we need to continue to make a difference."
Checchi introduced NAW to Rodriguez' San Fernando Valley-based "Communities in Schools" program which, like NAW, focuses on providing kids with computer skills. Rodriguez' own son was killed in gang-related violence. The success of his program and his background have already attracted national attention, and he is looking to the Anaheim event to garner additional coverage of his work. "NAW has been successful in focusing public attention on efforts like ours to bring kids out of the ghetto by giving them seriously useful skills," said Rodriguez. "Training kids as webmasters is another exciting way we can make things better for the kids and the community."
Ian Robertson, a former Lockheed executive and a teacher in "Communities in Schools," will escort the young adults to Anaheim. Cullifer has also invited Tom Daly, Mayor of Anaheim, to stop by the NAW booth and meet the new webmasters. "We need supporters from every level to bring as much attention as possible to efforts like ours and Mr. Rodriguez'," he said. "This is as much about re-claiming American competitive advantage as it is about mentoring. The time is now and the opportunities are all around us. With support like we're getting in Anaheim, there's no limit to the amount of good we can do."
The National Association of Webmasters was founded in 1996 by professionals with proven track records in education, data processing, Internet consulting, telecommunications and marketing. The purpose of the Association is to support and enhance the role of individuals and organizations who create, manage or market web sites. NAW provides webmaster certification in conjunction with Net Guru Technologies, Inc., its strategic training partner, as well as educational, technical, employment and member advantage services. The Association is located at 9580 Oak Avenue Parkway, Suite 7-177, Folsom, CA, 95630. Contact them online at www.joinwow.org or by telephone at (916) 608-1597.