Do you know someone with an IT background who could use a break, is passionate about

technology and wants to make a difference in the community? This is an opportunity

for 24 deserving individuals to build skills and career credentials while giving back.

Maybe it’s you or maybe it’s someone you know. Applicants propose a software project

for a non-profit organization and submit a proposal to the deciding committee. Awardees

will receive a wealth of software, licensing, training, books and certification exam

vouchers – upon which to help build a new career.

A group of Microsoft MVPs; led by my friend and founder of the Oregon SQL Developer’s

Association, Arnie Rowland; have pooled our resources and negotiated with Microsoft

and other vendors to offer materials and services, valued at several thousand dollars,

to support the development of a community project and the a person’s career development.

The awardee is free to keep and use the software and all the materials for their own

use within the license terms.

Applicants must be unemployed or underemployed and have a background or aptitude in

software development or information technology. The project recipient must be a qualifying

non-profit or charity. Awardees will receive multiple licensed activations for literally

hundreds of Microsoft & partner products (nearly all of the desktop & server operating

systems, development products, tools and business applications) including the following

and some additional materials:

The program details and application form are here on

Arnie Rowland’s blog

Microsoft and other companies make these resources available to MVPs to share at our

disgression. Through this program, we hope to make a difference in the lives of people

in our communities; both the developers and benefactors of these projects.

Weblog by Paul Turley and SQL Server BI Blog.