Maxava is thrilled to announce that having again received a record number of applications, the Maxava iFoundation has awarded funding to 34 groups, to assist and strengthen the IBM i community.
“The contribution of these not-for-profit groups to the IBM i community is invaluable and we are delighted to support their efforts in maintaining and growing a strong mutually supportive network of IBM i professionals,” says Allan Campbell, CEO of Maxava.
the Maxava iFoundation has awarded funding to 34 groups, to assist and strengthen the IBM i community
Established in 2011 to help IBM i user groups in any part of the world, the Maxava iFoundation has made significant contributions to grow and strengthen the IBM i community. Each year, the program offers grants to qualifying organizations that are focused on promoting and developing the IBM i community by upskilling and recruiting more business professionals to work with the IBM i platform.
“It is so wonderful that Maxava has continued this effort. It truly does make a big difference” says Laura Ubelhor, President of the Southeast Michigan iSeries User Group (SEMIUG). She continues, “The grant this year will once again help fund our development sandbox, used to develop the skills of both group members and students via various hands-on activities.”
Campbell, happy to see the continued vibrancy of the user community, as evidenced by the continuing increase in the number of applicants year on year, comments, “It is particularly encouraging to see the focus from some of the groups on vocational training for new talent in the IBM i community.”
[quote_box_center]President of New England Midrange Users Group, Dick Ferrara describes how the iFoundation grant would help NEMUG, “Over the past few years we have continued to flourish, thanks to the grant from the Maxava Foundation”. Ferrara says the grant would allow the group to bring in high caliber speakers which increases attendance at meetings, explaining, “This allows us to provide a deeper level of education for our member companies and other interested parties”. And Charles Guarino, past President and current board member of the Long Island Systems Users Group LISUG adds, “Offering educational opportunities helps members keep their skill sets viable and relevant in today’s rapidly moving business environment.”[/quote_box_center]
Maxava iFoundation’s newly appointed Grant Coordinator for North America and EMEA, Mariah Hartman, is based in Doylestown, PA. Hartman is enthusiastic about the Maxava iFoundation community; “It’s really exciting to talk to all the groups and discuss their new plans for the 2015-2016 year. We’ve recently set up a Maxava iFoundation Facebook page and I’m hoping groups globally, will share their success stories through this page.”
“Maxava is committed to continuing to look for ways to enhance the IBM i community and the broader promotion of the platform’s relevance for modern, critical, commercial applications, especially in the Cloud,” Campbell says. “We will be looking to see where else we can lend support in promoting the IBM i in future – including within the wider IBM whenever possible”.
Maxava iFoundation grants can be used to support activities such as educational conferences and workshops, speaker expenses, marketing and educational collaboration with local colleges and universities and other, similar growth activities.