Week-long program provided a safe, structured environment for more than 1,000 1st to 5th graders from Greater Boston.

The week of February 18-22 was school vacation for Massachusetts public schools. To help address the needs for inner-city youth during this time, Compaq, in collaboration with City Year, one of its national partners, helped sponsor "City Year For Kids....A school vacation program." The week-long program provided a safe, structured environment for more than 1,000 1st to 5th graders from Greater Boston to enjoy many fun and educational activities led by the City Year Boston corps members, as well as volunteers from the community. The activities each day included hands-on educational programs, recreation activities and a service period where participants engaged in a community service program. "City Year for Kids" promotes the values of diversity, teamwork and personal growth. Without this program, many youngsters would not be able to afford this type of "camp" experience.

According to Jeff Paquette, executive director, City Year Boston, "Seven thousand children in the Greater Boston area are without a safe, structured, educational place to be during school vacation. We want to build an approach whereby we can eventually reach all of those children. Our ability to meet the critical need of teaching, leading and mentoring children during out-of-school time cannot be achieved without the volunteer, financial and in-kind recourses of powerful corporate citizens and partners like Compaq." Paquette went on to say, "Compaq's investment in City Year for Kids is yet another example of the company's commitment to developing the civic skills, values and leadership capacity of young people. "

City Year, located in 13 cities across the country, is a national youth-service corps with headquarters in Boston that unites young adults (17-23 years old) from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds for a year of full-time community service and leadership development. Compaq is a national leadership sponsor and has company-named teams of young corps members in Boston and in Silicon Valley.