Power Ball: The Digital Version by Pablo Schneider

article written by Pablo Schneider of Wave Four Media

Power Ball: The Digital Version

Hurricane Sandy wreaking havoc in the northeast was a stark reminder that when disaster strikes, the delivery of humanitarian aid can be a matter of life and death. One organization that is improving the delivery of humanitarian aid globally is Aidmatrix (www.aidmatrix.org). Aidmatrix is an innovative nonprofit organization that combines the non-profit, IT and humanitarian aid sectors. Each year, Aidmatrix provides sophisticated IT solutions to help 40,000 corporate, non-profit, and government partners deliver $1.5 billion in global humanitarian aid in goods, money and other resources that touch the lives of 65 million people around the world. 

Aidmatrix’ major annual fundraising event is the DFW Digital Ball (www.dfwdigitalball.com). The 2012 DFW Digital Ball was co-chaired by two of the top CIO’s in the world – the CIO’s of AT&T and Hewlett Packard (HP). Those two top CIO’s are Latino — Thaddeus Arroyo of AT&T and Ramon Baez of HP. Thaddeus and Ramon were key leaders of the event, which brought together more than 500 information technology and business leaders, including 32 CIO’s of major corporations. Major sponsors included leading corporations like Accenture, AT&T, Avanade, Dell, HP, Microsoft, Pepsico, Time Warner Cable and UPS.

Reflecting on Aidmatrix and on the DFW Digital Ball, HP CIO Ramon Baez said: “I am honored to work for a company like Hewlett Packard that sees the benefits of supporting such a wonderful philanthropic organization, the Aidmatrix Foundation. It was a privilege to co-host this year’s Digital Ball in Dallas so we can have a positive impact on our communities here in Texas, throughout the U.S., and around the world. It is amazing to have our colleagues in the technology industry come along side of us to support these endeavors.”

AT&T CIO Thaddeus Arroyo added: “Technology enabled innovation can serve to dramatically improve the efficacy of aid delivery in humanitarian relief across the social sector. The DFW Digital Ball brings together business and technology leaders for an evening of philanthropy to help Aidmatrix build capacity for their partners to reach more people in need. Funds raised from this event support the technology solutions Aidmatrix provides to non-profit partners across the U.S. and around the world.”

Nina Vaca and Mary Ellen (Mel) Londrie are two successful Latina IT entrepreneurs who attended the DFW Digital Ball. When asked about the event, Nina Vaca, Chairman and CEO of both Pinnacle Technical Resources and of Provade, shared: “I’m so pleased to see the IT community at the highest level galvanize around Aidmatrix and through the DFW Digital Ball to give back to humanitarian needs in a way that really moves the needle.”

Londrie, Chairman and CEO of P3S Corporation, commented: “It was an honor to be a part of an event that raised funds and raised awareness. The funds raised go to improve IT services for the non-profit sector, especially for the delivery of humanitarian aid. The DFW Digital Ball also raised awareness of humanitarian needs in the U.S. and other countries as well as awareness of opportunities for how people can get involved and make a difference to give back and be a part of something bigger than ourselves.” 

featured in Latino Leaders Magazine (December 2012 / January 2013 edition)