BNSF News

BNSF Recognized for Contribution to Native American Achievement Centers

2007-12-03

The Native American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) recently presented BNSF its Order of Black Elk award in recognition of the BNSF Foundation’s donation for two Technology Achievement Centers at Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge, S.D. Other centers have been opened at the Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Mont., the Ojibwe in Cass Lake, Minn., and the Yselta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso, Texas, sponsored by IBM and the NACC.

The NAAC is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Native American business community through charitable, cultural and educational programs and initiatives for current and future generations.

"The Lenovo PC-based achievement centers offer computer and Internet access, education and training at all levels for reservation residents of all ages," says Ron Glover, vice president, IBM Global Workforce Diversity. "As Native American reservations are geographically distant from metropolitan centers and often lack community infrastructure, they are often left behind in the information age. This program really aims to help them realize all of the education and communication benefits of technology and to bridge the digital divide."

In addition to computer training that covers the fundamentals through more advanced courses, the achievement centers will serve as an education center for the communities, offering classes on topics such as family history and genealogy, health, language training, work skills and tutoring, as well as a host of life skills and enrichment curriculum for the community’s residents.

BNSF’s El Paso Diversity Council is planning to use one of its monthly meetings to visit the center at the Yselta del Sur Pueblo to gain a better understanding of how BNSF could utilize the new technology for recruitment or training.

The Cheyenne River center should open end of January and the Pine Ridge center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.

Pictured (top, from left): Cherie Gordon, manager, Diverse Business Enterprise; Donna Holsworth, BNSF Council of Native Americans (CNA), community liaison and spokesperson; Russell Means, activist for the rights of Native Americans; and Michele Munoz, past chair and current secretary, CNA, and senior technical analyst II, Technology Support.

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