Congratulations to ZFellows Class II

The most recent group of exemplary community leaders, members of ZeroDivide’s leadership program, celebrated their graduation at a reception on May 12, 2008. The graduation was held at the Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street (at Third Street) in San Francisco, from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Program begins at 6:00 pm). The exhibition AFRICA.Dot.COM: From Drums to Digital will be open for viewing both before and immediately following the program.

The ZeroDivide Fellows are a group of technologically savvy, visible and committed advocates who are playing a critical role in improving the lives of Californians. As technology transforms the way people live, they represent the leadership that will carry us forward in the 21st century. They are changing the way people learn, the way people receive health care, and the way people exchange and share information.

To learn more about the tireless advocates working on these issues, we invite you to read a few examples of their stories below:

Paul Hernandez

With over twenty years of experience working and volunteering in the community around social justice issues, Paul was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to serve on the Broadband Task Force. The Broadband Task Force was formed to bring together public and private stakeholders to remove barriers to broadband access, identify opportunities for increased broadband adoption and enable the creation and deployment of new advanced communication technologies for California.

California desires to maintain and extend its technology leadership. According to Governor Schwarzenegger, the broadband initiative is truly the foundation for achieving further leadership for the state and for the country. California is a leader in the telecommunication revolution as well as home to the greatest technology entrepreneurs. The Governor’s executive order provides a strategic focus on broadband deployment for California, and makes law a number of practical measures that will increase competition, lower prices for consumers, and extend the reach of broadband to homes and businesses that are currently shut out of its benefits.

Paul's participation, along with twenty prominent leaders from government, community and industry, will create value and increase the quality of life for everyone who benefits from the opportunity to take part in the global information society.

Irma Resendez

Irma Resendez founded Familia Unida Living with Multiple Sclerosis (FULWMS) in January of 1998, after having endured her own personal experience with MS.   FULWMS proudly stands as the first bilingual, English/Spanish, Multiple Sclerosis non-profit (501-c3) organization in U.S. History.  

In 1990, Irma was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which left her completely paralyzed from the waist down and substantially limited her upper extremities for almost one year.   During her difficult rehabilitation period, she was stunned to discover that culturally appropriate and expert information, as well as services and resources, were not available from local or national MS organizations in the Spanish language.   From then on, she diligently and selflessly committed her life to serve the needs of individuals with Multiple Sclerosis and other debilitating illnesses, by launching FULWMS.   Familia Unida Living with Multiple Sclerosis makes it possible for MS sufferers to obtain access to healthcare, educational services and resources that ultimately encourage maximum quality of life. 

Irma continues to carry out her mission of helping others, by being a strong and effective leader who advocates for the improvement of human rights and the well-being of the diverse populations which she serves.   She actively conducts culturally sensitive workshops and presentations to bring awareness of the importance to respect and preserve cultural identity.  Nationally recognized for her work, she has been featured in many media and radio interviews, as well as in several Multiple Sclerosis publications.

Camille Ramani

ZeroDivide Fellow Camille Ramani partnered with ZeroDivide grantee, Aspiration Tech, to create an online web resource about GIS (Geographic Information System) for non-profits with a large focus on open source technologies and software. The result is GIS Toolbox on socialsourcecommons.org

GIS is an important tool in understanding and managing environments. GIS technology is to geographical analysis what the microscope, the telescope, and computers have been to other sciences. The GIS model integrates spatial and other kinds of information within a single system - it offers a consistent framework for analyzing data.  The common purpose is decision-making, for managing use of land, resources, transportation, retailing, oceans or any spatially distributed entities. The creation of socialsourcecommons.org is a rich resource for the NPO community on software and IT. 
 

To learn more about ZFellows Class II