Recognized by President Obama as an Innovative and Effective
Nonprofit Organization
Best Buy Co., Inc. celebrates today as philanthropic partner Genesys
Works is recognized by President Barack Obama as one of the preeminent
nonprofit organizations working to improve communities across the United
States. President Obama’s identification of Genesys Works came as a
result of the newly created White House Office of Social Innovation and
Civic Participation, formally announced in a media conference yesterday
afternoon. Through the new White House program, a $50 million Social
Innovation Fund was also established to expand the outreach of promising
non-profit programs like Genesys Works throughout the country.
In his message, President Obama highlighted Genesys Works as a
successfully developed model demonstrating results and harboring the
potential to make progress in education, training, health care and other
areas in more communities across the country.
Best Buy recently partnered with Genesys Works through the @15 Change
Exchange program. Genesys Works was one of four featured non-profit
partners that @15 members could allocate charitable funds toward in
exchange for their earned @15 points. Genesys Works tied for first place
in the contest receiving 41% of the total votes and was awarded $103,000
from the @15 Fund to support their continued efforts at social change.
ABOUT GENESYS WORKS:
Genesys Works is a growing national non-profit organization founded in
2002. The organization began in Houston and expanded into
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota in 2008 with plans to expand into other
major metropolitan areas in the country in 2010. The mission is to
enable economically-disadvantaged high school students enter the
economic mainstream by providing them with the knowledge and work
experience required to succeed as professionals. Students are placed
into an intensive training program that prepares them to work in a
meaningful capacity in large corporations during their senior year of
high school. Immersion into the corporate world creates life change for
these students showing possibility that they can succeed as
professionals. With more than 30 of Houston’s largest corporations
participating, Genesys reaches approximately 200 students per year with
more than 95% of the graduates enrolling into college immediately after
high school. Many receive major scholarships with the assistance of the
Genesys Works College Connection program.
