PING! Raises $50,000+ for Per Scholas

Two last-minute entries – Polaris and NASDAQ – took home the tournament trophies last night at PING!, the first annual Per Scholas ping-ping extravaganza, as nearly 250 supporters raised $50,000+ for Per Scholas’ work. The sum is enough to supply an entire year of Per Scholas students with their textbooks and other learning materials.

The uproariously fun evening featured unlimited ping-pong, food, drink and not a small share of competitive spirits at SPiN NYC, New York’s premiere ping-pong venue. The event’s corporate sponsors — including NASDAQ, Prudential, Accenture, the Creating IT Futures Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, FLSV, Lenox Advisors and EMC — vied for berths in the finals match along with teams of individual supporters. Prizes included the instantly coveted trophies, along with upcoming tickets to The Daily Show and a Knicks match (both courtesy of Technology for Social Good at JPMorgan Chase).

Because the event costs were underwritten by Per Scholas’ Board of Directors, 100% of the evening’s proceeds will help fund our IT Professional Training Program, expected to enroll 400 students (including more than 80 returning U.S. veterans) this year. Thanks to board members Plino Ayala, Derek Braddock, Sara Lander, Carolyn Landis, Gregory Sills, Joseph Squeri and John Hoyt Stookey for their especially generous contributions. Thanks as well to all the members of our 2012 Host Committee, who not only contributed personally but sold scores of tickets.

Last but definitely not least, thanks to everyone else who attended and made the evening such a wonderful success. We were literally overwhelmed by the positive reaction and can’t wait to begin planning PING! again next year!