CharityAmerica.com and Bentley College Announce Partnership for Service-Learning Initiatives

Business Wire, August 9, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 9, 2000

Nine Hundred Bentley College Students Turn

to Innovative Charity Website to Make a Difference

CharityAmerica.com and Bentley College announce a partnership that integrates technology and learning to help make it easier for students to register online for community service opportunities at local nonprofit organizations. CharityAmerica.com, a comprehensive resource for qualified nonprofits and their supporters, launched its extensive student volunteer campaign, CharityAmerica Students Care, with Bentley College and its Service-Learning Center (BSLC).

As part of Bentley's First Year Initiative course--which requires freshmen students to fulfill a one-day service-learning project that integrates hands-on community service with classroom learning--students will log onto the BSLC page at www.bentley.edu and link to www.charityamerica.com to select from a broad scope of service opportunities. CharityAmerica's online technology allows students to register online, with direct access to company profiles, project descriptions and available service times. More than 900 students will choose from a variety of opportunities--from tutoring children, to setting up computer labs, to painting buildings--based on their particular interests and the parameters of the course. For example, if an FYI class wants to emphasize a public policy issue such as homelessness, students may spend the day working in a soup kitchen and talking to people involved in day-to-day activities.

"In all facets of the curriculum, Bentley College is committed to the integration of business and technology, and the partnership with CharityAmerica helps bring service-learning to the next level," said Robert Koulish, director of the BSLC. "Providing students with online access to opportunities helps streamline planning for service-learning, and gives students the resources to choose a project that is right for them. If students are more active in the selection process, it may increase their initiative and the overall learning curve."

In addition to giving students information at their fingertips and better meeting the needs of local nonprofit agencies, the campaign has exponentially increased the number of nonprofits that participate in Bentley's Service-Learning program. More than 50 organizations have registered to date including the Greater Boston Food Bank, Greater Waltham Association for Retarded Citizens, Perkins School for the Blind, Pine Street Inn, Mass Coalition for Battered Women, New England SCORES and the Watertown Boys & Girls Club.

"We are thrilled to embark on this partnership because of the far-reaching benefits for both college students and our online nonprofit community," said Timothy McCarthy, Founder and CEO of CharityAmerica.com. "We are helping to define a new standard in service-learning by providing students with a greater understanding of philanthropy and the needs of the community that surrounds them. We anticipate that this experience will engage students and they will continue to log on to CharityAmerica.com to volunteer, exchange information and give back through in-kind donations."

In addition to the Student Care campaign, CharityAmerica.com offers an array of comprehensive giving tools for students over the Internet. For more information on the CharityAmerica Student Care Campaign call 1-877-KIND ACT or visit www.charityamerica.com.

About CharityAmerica

CharityAmerica.com is the premier national online resource connecting qualified nonprofit organizations and their supporters. CharityAmerica.com's "Philanthropy Causeways" - Donations, Volunteer, Events, Tickets and Shopping - empower individuals to give back to the charities of their choice. CharityAmerica.com is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts at 264 North Main Street. The company's telephone number is 508-903-4100. Additional information can be found at www.charityamerica.com.

About Bentley College

Bentley College is committed to providing the most advanced business education possible. Approximately 4,200 undergraduate, 1,500 graduate and 2,500 executive professional education students learn in an environment that integrates information technology with a broad business and arts and sciences curriculum, gaining knowledge, interpersonal skills and experience for careers in a global economy. Bentley College is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, 10 miles west of Boston. Visit www.bentley.edu for more information.