Aquire, Inc. Donates $5,000 to Girlstart Program
- At Dallas Area Middle School. Grant from Irving software company to assist non-profit educational project -
AUSTIN, Texas - Sept. 14, 2000 - Girlstart, an Austin-based, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting math, science and technology-related skills for girls ages 9 to 15, announced today that Aquire, Inc., a software company based in Irving, Texas, has donated $5,000 to help fund the organization's year-old program at Pearl C. Anderson Middle School in Dallas.
The Pearl C. Anderson program is the first Dallas-area initiative presented by Girlstart. According to Executive Director Rachel Muir, who founded Girlstart in 1997, the Dallas program has been vital to Girlstart's mission of inspiring young women to seek careers in technology-related fields.
"We are delighted to have Aquire sponsoring our Dallas initiative," Muir said. "The funding will help us continue our work at Pearl C. Anderson. It's especially significant as Aquire has such strong female leadership. We know the young women at Anderson will be inspired by Aquire's success and commitment as they contemplate their own futures."
Aquire, Inc. is a worldwide provider of web-based, organizational-charting software. The company serves more than 800 customers in 28 countries, including Yale University, the Bank of Montreal, Colgate-Palmolive, Compaq Computers, Dell Finance Group, GTE Corp. and Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., to name a few. Because of its record growth and commitment to the industry, Aquire was named one of this year's Top 500 software and services companies in Software Magazine's 18th annual ranking. Aquire President Lois Melbourne the company in 1994.
"It seems all too appropriate that we support such a remarkable program in the Dallas-Fort Worth area," Lois said. "Girlstart empowers girls by reminding them of their potential while providing the tools for great contributions in technology. Aquire is pleased to support such important initiatives. Technology is for everyone."
Pearl C. Anderson Middle School is located in the Fair Park area of Dallas. The predominantly African-American school has limited financial resources, which makes the Aquire donation so important to the program's success. In its first year of partnership with the school, Girlstart has initiated programs for Anderson students that included building rockets, taking field trips to examine cellular phone operations, participating in Girlstart's online Virtual Take Our Daughters to Work Day and other technology-promoting activities.
For more information, or to schedule an interview with Rachel Muir, please contact Jennifer Hill or Phil West at Jennifer Hill Public Relations, 512.320.1560.
