White House recognizes ON_DEC On November 16, 2004 U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans presented The Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership to JPMorgan Chase, KeySpan Corp. and Luxottica Retail at a White House ceremony.
JPMorgan Chase was honored for its ON_DEC program, which was launched five years ago to provide one inner city school -- Ditmas IS-62 in Brooklyn -- and its students, teachers and staff the same access to technology and related training support as their more affluent peers.
Bill Harrison accepted the award on behalf of the firm. Rick Lazio, head of Government Affairs; Laura Winter, head of the ON_DEC program and Dr. Nancy Brogan, principal of Ditmas, were also in attendance.
About the award The Ron Brown Award* is the only Presidential Award recognizing companies for outstanding achievement in employee and community relations. The Award was established by former President Clinton in honor of the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown. Winners are selected by a blue-ribbon panel of independent judges.
"We are hopeful that the Ron Brown Award we are receiving today may inspire other companies to see the importance of this type of community partnership and spur the replication of ON_DEC in other schools around the country," said Harrison.
ON_DEC: Demonstrable results "Businesses can do well and they can also do good, and that's what business is all about... We don't see or hear enough of all the good deeds that are happening right here in our own country, the good deeds that companies do," said Evans.
In concluding the ceremony, the Secretary of Commerce praised JPMorgan Chase for providing results. Among the findings that Harrison shared with the audience were:
Ditmas students indicated that the ON_DEC program increased their performance in school and their interest in school activities;
Nearly all teachers noted that technology has increased their productivity in a number of areas; and
More than three-quarters of parents reported that they are prepared to use their home computer, and that other children in the ON_DEC households also benefited from access to computers.
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