October 27, 2015
Josh Dubin/Facebook: Girl Develop It Philly
Yasmine Mustafa, founder of the Philadelphia chapter of Girl Develop It. The organization received $15,000 from AT&T for scholarships, classes and outreach.
A non-profit group that helps women launch technology careers has received a $15,000 donation from AT&T.
The Philadelphia chapter of Girl Develop It, which encourages women to launch technology careers through classes and meet-ups, got a great birthday present last week: $15,000.
AT&T donated the money as part of its "Aspire" campaign, and the funds will be used for scholarships, classes and an outreach campaign.
"We are so thrilled to receive this support from AT&T, furthering our ability to reach women in the Philadelphia region through our programs, particularly underserved communities whose members may not be aware of this great local resource and network," said Corinne Warnshuis, Executive Director of Girl Develop It.
Thanks so much to @connecttogood for their generous grant. #attaspire They even brought a giant check! pic.twitter.com/hv1YP8LHOB
— GirlDevelopIt Philly (@gdiphilly) October 26, 2015
The donation came as the company was celebrating its four-year anniversary. It was founded in 2011 by Yasmine Mustafa, who was frustrated because "I couldn't find anywhere to learn how to code where I felt comfortable."
She started attending Girl Develop It classes in New York and found that the community was amazing.
"I hopped on the Bolt Bus and took a four-hour commute for a two-hour class, and it was worth it," she said.
A report from the CBRE Group in April ranked Philadelphia as the best market in the nation for gender diversity, with 31 percent of tech jobs held by women. Mustafa says she's proud that Girl Develop It contributes to that.
The point of taking the classes is not just to learn how to code, she said, but "to feel empowered doing so."
Mustafa made headlines recently for another story about female empowerment.
Mustafa's company, ROAR for Good, has raised over $50,000 so far through an Indiegogo campaign for a personal safety product called Athena. The "smart jewelry" device with a built-in alarm is designed to help women stay safe, and 10 percent of the proceeds from the campaign will go to an anti-domestic-violence foundation.
Related story: 'Smart safety jewelry' company reaches crowdfunding goal
Joseph Divis, AT&T's Executive Director of External Affairs, praised Girl Develop It for "doing great things to create opportunities for women in emerging tech communities in Philadelphia and across the country."
In addition to the Philadelphia donation, AT&T also contributed money to help start a Girl Develop It chapter in Wilmington, Delaware, which launched on October 21.
