ROI Corporate Dinner raises more than $400,000

On the evening of May 3, 2012, Per Scholas launched its first-ever R.O.I. (Reach – Opportunity – Impact) corporate partner dinner. Our goal was to raise enough new funds for Per Scholas to enroll at least 60 more students in 2012 than last year. We are excited to announce that with more than $400,000 in proceeds, the dinner achieved that goal!

We were extraordinarily fortunate to have Guy Chiarello, the Chief Information Officer of JPMorgan Chase and one of Per Scholas’ most dynamic and committed supporters, as our inaugural honoree. More than 300 business IT leaders turned out for the occasion, a reception and dinner hosted by the company at 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza.

Highlights included remarks by Plinio Ayala, Per Scholas’ CEO; a “Heads or Tails” game that raised nearly $7,000 all by itself; a very moving address by Delkys Ortiz Pena, a Per Scholas graduate; an auction that raised $15,000 in personal contributions from EMC attendees, spurred on by Per Scholas board member and EMC executive Diane Lenz; and the award presentation to Guy by JPMorgan Chase Chief Administrative Officer Frank Bisignano and Per Scholas Executive Vice President Barbara Chang. Last but certainly not least, JPMorgan Chase CIO for Worldwide Securities Services Richard Anfang did a stand-up job as game master, auctioneer and emcee.

The event united several longtime Per Scholas corporate partners with nearly 20 new ones. JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs both contributed $50,000 as highest-level Impact Sponsors. We were especially pleased to welcome new Opportunity Sponsors ($25,000) Prudential and Tata Consultancy Services, as well as eight Reach Sponsors ($15,000):  Collabera, CompTIA, Gartland & Mellina Group, NYSE Euronext, Polaris, pWc, Symantec and Thomson Reuters. Except for NYSE Euronext, all were new Per Scholas supporters.

Additional generous contributions came from a long list of companies. They included Accenture, AT&T, Cognizant, Con Edison, EMC, IBM, Informatica, NetApp, SAP and World Wide Technology. Again, the majority were new partners in our work to create professional job opportunities for low-income and underemployed New Yorkers.

Per Scholas offers its heartfelt thanks to the sponsors and the many individuals who helped make the evening a success. Special thanks go to Jonathan Teplitz and the Technology for Social Good team at JPMorgan Chase, for all their unstinting help.