Categoría: Geovanny Vicente

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Family historians across the country, preparing for the inevitable cancellation of Thanksgiving this year, share seven ways to surround yourself with cherished activities to celebrate from afar to keep keep families together virtually.

The ScanMyPhotos.com poll of 100 family historians paints a grim picture this Fall, as Americans will radically change their behavior in light of the pandemic. While some will bend the rules, most families are predicted to stay at home, creating «virtual Thanksgiving» gatherings — but how?

«It’s likely that families and friends will prepare special activities for online participation, including online viewing parties, gaming, and eating together while apart. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that distant relatives will have equal footing with more local ones,» said Mitch Goldstone, CEO at ScanMyPhotos.com.

Learn what even those who aren’t tech-savvy can do to prepare for this upcoming season of togetherness, even when it will be spent apart. ScanMyPhotos.com is connected with families across the nation as their digital photo archivist service. The regular engagements with people who had their decades-past pictures scanned are the best group to ask what plans they have for the holidays.

The regular engagements with people who had their decades-past pictures scanned are the best group to ask what plans they have for the holidays.

As Americans swelter in the summer heat with masks on, thoughts of Fall aren’t far away. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving as we know it has been cancelled — but that may be a good thing. ScanMyPhotos polled 100 family historians for their perspective, and found that Americans are most likely to resort to virtual Thanksgiving gatherings. This could actually benefit more distant relatives, as they would be able to connect just like everyone else.

This human connection is difficult to blend. For example, it’s common for friends and family to connect during the Thanksgiving holiday, but there’s usually the awkward moment where someone uses Skype, FaceTime, Google Meet, or Zoom to connect while the rest of the family attempts to crowd around a phone.

This year, since more people will be stuck at home, the playing field is even. Everyone will be awkward. But it will allow relatives who might not usually be able to attend in person to attend the party. It could also provide welcome relief to elderly relatives in nursing homes.

If there’s another silver lining it’s that the entertainment possibilities will be posted online in real time. Saturday Night Live made the best of a quarantined season, as has the film industry with movies like Mulan going straight to online distribution in lieu of theatrical runs. It’s possible an army of YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram stars will be born in the isolation of this year’s Thanksgiving. Although the existing stars will no doubt capitalize on the moment as well, especially in lieu of this year’s live tour plans.

Because traditional Thanksgiving parties are canceled, there are ways to gather online for holiday reunions virtually. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time filled with family and joy. Often it is the only time during the year when the entire family gathers together.

7 Ways to Surround Yourself with Cherished Moments to Celebrate Thanksgiving From Afar

1) Visit Virtually, Online: Send invitations to your friends and the entire family to gather at a specific time during Thanksgiving for a virtual video call celebration while everyone is safe at home. «Zoom» live-action during your turkey dinner. Share stories. Watch and listen to the collective conversations to celebrate with your siblings, parents, distant relatives, and friends. Technology will unite and connect without ever leaving home. Make sure everyone understands how and when to log in.

2) Share Decades-Past Snapshots: Gather and digitize your old-school photos snapshots to reminisce and narrate the stories behind past Thanksgiving dinners and share the stories behind the memories when you cannot be together in person.

3) Select a Game For Everyone To Play: Jackbox is a gaming service that allows you to Facetime with your friends while playing virtual games.

4) Virtual Memory Wheel: Connects and gets everyone to engage. Become part of the story, while socially distancing. Have everyone select ten of their all-time most memorable pictures from past Thanksgivings and family gatherings. Share all the pictures online, and narrates the story behind the photos.

5) Smile, It is Family Photo Time: Take a family photo, complete with all virtual guests. Use a collage photo app to assemble each picture into a family keepsake and order photo gifts for everyone.

6) Guess Who? Cards: Have everyone submit two anonymous memes or message cards describing something excellent and unusual that happened to them in 2020. Add a third card with an aspiration for something they had hoped to do in 2020 but were unable to do. And one more identifying the best book, favorite TV show, movie, song, or event they enjoyed during the past 12 months. Then have everyone guess who wrote each Guess Who?

7) Prepare Before. Send a gift and traditional dessert before Thanksgiving. Mail matching bouquets and a favorite family dessert to all your guests to enjoy together during your interactive Zoom party.

Major retailers already announced they would close on Thanksgiving. Many others are doing without the traditional day after «Black Friday» sales as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Parades are not the only canceled tradition. Large Thanksgiving dinners are out too.

For those seeking an opt-out to escape family drama, the excuse why you cannot visit in person during Thanksgiving has already been made. No explanation is needed. Multi-generational families, separated by distance and time apart, can instead all gather together online.

Because traditional Thanksgiving parties are canceled, there are ways to gather online for holiday reunions virtually. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time filled with family and joy. Often it is the only time during the year when the entire family gathers together.

Background: ScanMyPhotos.com is a nationwide photo digitization service headquartered in Irvine, CA, and has preserved 600 million pictures.

SOURCE ScanMyPhotos.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Looking to address Ohio’s high unemployment rate and a shortage of truck drivers, Roadmaster Drivers School is ready to open a new training facility in Columbus, the state’s largest city. While Roadmaster has continually operated in Columbus since 1995, this new custom-built school will open its doors and have its first class on Aug. 17. The 10,000-sq. ft. facility sits on 12 acres in the state capital and will be able to serve approximately 750 students each year.

Meanwhile, the Ohio State Senate is currently considering a bill that would increase training opportunities to meet Ohio’s growing demand for additional truck drivers. House Bill 222, which passed the Ohio House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support, would provide a tax credit for companies that invest in truck-driver training, equal to a total of one-half of the training expenses.(1) «Ohio legislators are to be commended for this timely and forward-looking initiative,» says Brad Ball, President of Roadmaster Drivers School. «New truckers are urgently needed in Ohio, and fortunately, job-seekers are responding; we are already seeing a significant upsurge of demand for training at our new facility in Columbus.»

Ball, whose company is nationally known for quality training of entry-level truck drivers, notes that demand for training has been growing for some time, due to pandemic-driven increases in unemployment. The jobless rate in Ohio, for example, which was at 4.1% in January of this year, rose to 17.6% in April.(2) The rate has dropped somewhat since then, but is still extremely high; more than 35,000 Ohioans filed new unemployment claims for the week ending July 11, with 429,000 filing claims for continued unemployment during the same period.(3) In this context, not just in Ohio but nationwide, says Ball, trucking stands out as an island of employment stability and opportunity.

Long before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Ball points out, there was a severe shortage of truck drivers(4), and the COVID-19 crisis has if anything increased the need for new drivers. As store closures and social distancing have made in-store shopping increasingly difficult, American consumers have turned to ecommerce. According to new research from Adobe Analytics, total U.S. online sales reached $73.2 billion in June, up 76.2% from June of 2019.(5)

To help manage the consequent surge in shipping and handling, Amazon alone has announced plans to hire 100,000 new employees, including drivers, for its U.S. warehouse and delivery operations.(6) And ecommerce is by no means the only area in which truck drivers are, and will continue to be, in high demand. Trucking, notes Ball, moves 71% of all freight shipped in America, and accounts for nearly 6% of all full-time jobs in the country(7).

The training required to enter the profession, he notes, is relatively brief, about four weeks. «Every day,» says Ball, «nationally and in our new facility in Columbus, we’re hearing from people who want to get off the layoff-and-furlough roller coaster and build a new, secure future for themselves.» Roadmaster is currently putting the finishing touches on its new facility in Columbus is opening in August.

About Roadmaster Drivers School:
Roadmaster, headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL, is a nationwide training organization for truckers. They have more than 25 years of experience training more than 150,000 graduates with 13 training locations nationwide. By focusing on giving students the best education and maintaining high job placement standards, Roadmaster has gained a national reputation in the trucking industry for quality training of entry-level commercial truck drivers—noted for their training practices to be the most hands-on and safety-focused training in the country. For more information, visit http://www.roadmaster.com.

1.    Hlavaty, Kaylyn. «House Passes Bill to Address Truck Driver Shortage in Ohio.» WEWS, 21 Feb. 2020, news5cleveland.com/news/democracy-2020/ohio-politics/house-passes-bill-to-address-truck-driver-shortage-in-ohio.
2.    «Ohio Economy at a Glance.» U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, bls.gov/eag/eag.oh.htm.
3.    Staff, 10TV Web. «More than 30,000 Jobless Claims Filed in Ohio Last Week.» 10tv.Com, WBNS, 4 June 2020, 10tv.com/article/news/local/ohio/more-12-million-ohioans-have-filed-unemployment-claims-last-11-weeks-2020-jun/530.
4.    Long, Heather. «Analysis | America Has a Massive Truck Driver Shortage. Here’s Why Few Want an $80,000 Job.» The Washington Post, 28 May 2018, washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/28/america-has-a-massive-truck-driver-shortage-heres-why-few-want-an-80000-job/.
5.    Evans, Katie, et al. «As Pandemic Pushes on, Online Sales Grow 76% in June.» Digital Commerce 360, 16 July 2020, digitalcommerce360.com/article/coronavirus-impact-online-retail/.
6.    Mattioli, Dana. «WSJ News Exclusive | Amazon to Hire 100,000 Warehouse and Delivery Workers Amid Coronavirus Shutdowns.» The Wall Street Journal, 17 Mar. 2020, wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-hire-100-000-warehouse-and-delivery-workers-amid-coronavirus-shutdowns-11584387833.
7.    «11 Incredible Facts about the $700 Billion US Trucking Industry | Markets Insider.» Business Insider, Business Insider, markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/trucking-industry-facts-us-truckers-2019-5-1028248577

SOURCE Roadmaster Driving School

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — To meet the growing demand for a more personalized and interactive virtual learning experience, iEducation Group is introducing Fusion Global Academy, a private online school offering live, one-to-one teaching to students in grades 6-12.  

«There is a world of difference between virtual instruction and online learning, as parents around the world have seen firsthand over the past several months,» said Peter Ruppert, iEducation Group CEO.  «Through Fusion Global Academy, students and teachers interact in real-time throughout every class to ensure children get the most out of their class sessions and interactions with their teachers.»

The national health crisis forced the hands of most academic institutions to transition from teaching students in traditional brick and mortar classrooms to moving classes online. As parents compare notes on their children’s academic experiences, the reviews have been mixed. Student experiences are vastly different, with varying levels of engagement. It is the level of student engagement that truly separates virtual instruction – where a live teacher provides instruction in real-time to allow for discussion, clarification and pivoting to meet the student’s needs – from online learning – which uses web-based tools to simply post resources and assignments online for students to navigate independently. Students at Fusion Global Academy learn one-to-one with each of their teachers throughout the day, whereas many online schools may handle up to 30 students per online class.

Fusion Global Academy, open to students nationwide and internationally who would like to graduate with a U.S. diploma, supports middle and high school student growth – academically, socially and emotionally. When Fusion students are in a class or tutoring session, a teacher is always present, working individually with the student for the entire class session. Fusion Global Academy will be led by Darby Carr, the president of virtual learning at Fusion Global Academy.

With more than 20 years of leadership and management experience in education and technology-based learning, Carr has built world-class programs to serve families and students needing high-quality learning options and greater flexibility in their school schedule. Carr has a rich history working in education, having served as the chief administration officer and principal for a leading charter school in Philadelphia before working with K12, an online public school, for 10 years. In her time with K12, Carr helped launch and operate online schools and led curriculum development. Most recently, Carr served as the president of Laurel Springs online private schools, where student enrollment grew significantly and retention rates improved by 125%.  

«Our education model is focused on three things: love, motivate and teach,» said Carr. «We first establish strong relationships with our students, then personalize their entire educational experience according to their strengths, goals, interests and learning style. Their learning is uniquely designed just for them.»

Another unique feature at Fusion Global Academy is the school’s Virtual Homework Café, where students’ complete coursework during the school day with additional oversight and support, as needed, from teachers. This leaves ample time after school for hobbies, passions, such as sports or music, and family.

With open enrollment, students can start at Fusion Global Academy at any point in the year.  The school’s revolutionary model includes:

• One-to-one instruction, taught live with a teacher
• More than 250+ accredited courses available
• Options to learn full-time, part-time or to support home school teaching
• Customized scheduling and start times for students needing schedule flexibility.
• Social opportunities and a global Homework Café connecting students from across the world
• Virtual clubs such as documentaries, foreign language and photography, to name a few
• Virtual field trips covering topics like marine life studies, planetarium visits and nature hiking

«Through Fusion Academy, our network of one-to-one private schools located across the country, we have seen the tremendous impact that personalized instruction can have on teenagers,» Ruppert remarked. «As a veteran in the education industry, I know that students do not thrive under a one-size-fits-all approach. While many do thrive in an on-campus environment, others flourish learning from home – especially when given the opportunity to work so closely with each teacher.»

To learn more about Fusion Global Academy visit FusionGlobalAcademy.com.

About iEducation Group 
The pioneer in one-to-one education, Michigan-based iEducation provides students and families a growing array of personalized learning options delivered through more than 75+ campuses in 16 states and Washington D.C., as well as a private online school offering live, individualized virtual instruction to students in grades 6-12. iEducation Group, the parent organization of Fusion Academy, Fusion Global Academy, Futures Academy and Barnstable Academy, is committed to education that is innovative, individualized, and inspired.  The mission of iEducation Group is to help each student flourish – emotionally, socially and academically – through positive, mentoring relationships and a personalized education experience. 

Contact: Megan Lasley 
248-914-2520 
mlasley@lambert.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ieducation-group-launches-global-accredited-one-to-one-virtual-school-301108663.html

SOURCE iEducation Group

Digital Engagement Project Reduces Adoption
Barriers to Match Kids and Families Faster

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ – Alithya Group inc. (NASDAQ: ALYA) (TSX: ALYA) («Alithya») proudly partnered with Adoption-Share, a US-based non-profit organization that leverages technology to reduce the barriers to adoption and ultimately increase the number of child placements into qualified, safe, and loving homes.

Alithya donated time and resources to develop a Microsoft Power App to address one of the agency’s most challenging issues: shortening the time to connect foster-care children with the right adoptive families.

Driving Innovation for a Worthy Cause
Adoption-Share’s cutting-edge Family-Match program was already used by state case workers responsible for matching children in foster-care with a goal of adoption to approved and licensed waiting families. While the application leveraged Azure-based predictive analytics to connect children with waiting families in more efficient and appropriate ways, Adoption-Share recognized the opportunity to speed up the matching process by moving further upstream and engaging families steps in a way they could demonstrate their motivation, willingness, capability, readiness, and compatibility with foster children in their own communities.

Alithya worked with Adoption-Share and built a Microsoft Power App called Faster Families which is part of the Family-Match 2.0 system. The new Power App, along with training content also developed by Alithya, helped Adoption-Share identify and alleviate bottlenecks faced by families during the agency on-boarding process, and as a result, streamlined and pinpointed the most exemplary families who were the most willing, able and interested in moving forward with adoption and foster parent licensing process.

Successful Exercise Showing That Digital Tools Can Change Lives
«The early results are exciting,» says Thea Ramirez, Founder & CEO of Adoption-Share. «During the initial rollout in the Orlando, Florida area, one family was able to complete a home study training and placement within 35 days of beginning the process — a process that previously could have taken years. We look forward to sharing many more stories like this one as the application is deployed in more areas in the US.»

«There is an incredible importance in connecting kids in crisis into loving homes faster,» commented Ryan Casey, Vice President, at Alithya. «Microsoft’s Power Platform enabled us to deploy a solution faster, consistent with that goal. We were honored to participate in this project with Adoption-Share, to extend their use of the Microsoft Power Platform, and to add another powerful app, Faster Families, to their technology arsenal.»

Alithya is proud of the project’s results, highlighted by an increase in the number of potential family matches, and a decrease in the time it takes to match those families with a child. Alithya is also pleased with the work conducted by its Training team, which developed short, bite-sized training videos that convey the user-friendliness of the Faster Families Power App to users. To learn more, read Alithya’s case study on the project, or visit Alithya’s training content and workshops as well as its Microsoft Power Apps web page.

About Alithya and Corporate Responsibility
Alithya Group inc. is a leader in strategy and digital transformation in North America. Founded in 1992, the Company can count on more than 2,100 professionals in the US, Canada, and Europe. Corporate responsibility is at the heart of Alithya’s management approach, and as such, the company is an advocate for good governance, workforce diversity and development, environment-friendly practices and social involvement in communities. To learn more, go to alithya.com/en/who-we-are/corporate-responsibility. Alithya’s integrated offering is based on four pillars of expertise: strategy services, application services, enterprise solutions and data and analytics. Alithya deploys solutions, services, and skillsets to craft tools tailored to its clients’ unique business needs in the Financial Services, Manufacturing, Energy, Telecommunications, Transportation and Logistics, Professional Services, Healthcare, and Government sectors.

About Adoption-Share
Adoption-Share is a 501(c)(3) organization that exists to leverage technology to bring reform, efficiency, and innovation to the private and public US adoption arena. Adoption-Share offers three main programs: 1) advocacy and adoption awareness campaigns, 2) an online network for private domestic adoption, and 3) an online matching tool, the Family-Match program, for state case workers to use in matching foster care children with the best families. For more information, visit adoption-share.com.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alithya-helps-adoption-share-fast-track-child-adoption-and-foster-placement-using-the-microsoft-power-platform-301108619.html

SOURCE Alithya

STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Global Lyme Alliance (GLA), the leading 501(c)(3) dedicated to conquering Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through research, education, awareness, and patient support services, today earned the 2020 Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar, a service of Candid. By sharing metrics that highlight progress GLA is making toward its mission, the organization is helping donors move beyond simplistic ways of nonprofit evaluation such as overhead ratios.

«In accordance with our long-held belief in being transparent about our work,» said GLA CEO Scott Santarella, «we are excited to convey our organization’s results in a user-friendly and highly visual manner. By updating our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile to the Platinum level, we can now easily share a wealth of up-to-date organizational metrics with our supporters as well as GuideStar’s immense online audience, which includes donors, grantmakers, our peers, and the media.»

To reach the Platinum level, GLA added extensive information to its Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar: basic contact and organizational information; in-depth financial information; qualitative information about goals, strategies, and capabilities; and quantitative information about results and progress toward its mission. By taking the time to provide this information, GLA has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and to giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate nonprofit performance.

Lyme disease is a public health crisis. In the U.S. alone there are an estimated 427,000 new cases each year, with an estimated two million people suffering from post-treatment Lyme disease by the end of 2020. Despite these pandemic numbers, federal funding for Lyme disease is minuscule, making financial support of GLA’s work to help patients, caregivers, and the community crucial.

«I encourage you to visit our profile on GuideStar to see what we’re all about,» added Santarella. «We’re thrilled that our GuideStar Platinum Nonprofit Profile and its associated benefits help us better communicate our organization’s exciting initiatives at a global scale.»

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About GLOBAL LYME ALLIANCE
Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) is the leading 501(c)(3) dedicated to conquering Lyme disease through research, education, awareness, and patient services. GLA has gained national prominence for funding the most urgent and promising research in the field, while expanding education and awareness programs for the general public and physicians. We support those around the globe in need of information about tick-borne diseases, finding a Lyme treating physician, and with the first Lyme-specific peer-to-peer mentor support program. Learn more at  GLA.org

About GUIDESTAR NONPROFIT PROFILES
In February 2019, GuideStar joined forces with Foundation Center to form Candid, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Today, GuideStar is a service of Candid. The GuideStar database contains a profile for every tax-exempt nonprofit registered with the IRS. The profiles are populated with information directly from nonprofits, the IRS, and other partners in the nonprofit sector. Candid encourages every nonprofit to claim and update its profile at no cost to the organization. Updating allows nonprofits to share a wealth of up-to-date information with the more than 13 million people who visit guidestar.org to learn more about nonprofit organizations each year. Updating also allows nonprofits to share information with the more than 200 philanthropic websites and applications that are powered by GuideStar data, such as AmazonSmile, Facebook, and Network for Good. To reach a given participation level, organizations must complete all required fields for that level. The GuideStar participation levels, acknowledged as symbols of transparency in the nonprofit sector, are displayed on all updated participants’ profiles in the GuideStar database.

About CANDID
Every year, millions of nonprofits spend trillions of dollars around the world. Candid finds out where that money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. Through research, collaboration, and training, Candid connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it. Candid’s data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants are the most comprehensive in the world. Find out more at candid.org and on Twitter @CandidDotOrg.

SOURCE Global Lyme Alliance

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Extracker, a cloud-based collaboration platform for the construction industry that helps general contractors and subcontractors create, track and share change orders and time and material tags, has selected global B2B agency Ripley PR as its public relations provider and agency of record.

San Francisco-based Extracker, available as both a desktop site and a mobile application, allows contractors to remotely share real-time data to help keep projects on track and on budget while following safety regulations and protocols. 

«The cloud-based platform allows construction companies to keep on the same page when sending project costs instead of tracking things via email and excel,» said Cameron Page, founder and CEO of Extracker. «We vetted several agencies and chose to partner with Ripley PR because their knowledge of the construction industry and relationships with the construction trade media will help us reach a new audience that can benefit from our services.» 

Page is a former general contractor who recognized the lack of visibility in the industry when it came tracking T&M Tags and CORs between subcontractors, general contractors and owners. To address the issue, he created a software platform that brings accountability and clarity to the job site. Standardizing inefficient written or emailed record-keeping has brought the organizational features of Extracker to the forefront. 

«Time and accuracy in information are critical to general contractors’ success, and our agency immediately knew they could benefit from Extracker’s innovative platform,» said Heather Ripley, CEO of Ripley PR. «This remote application improves the reliability and efficiency of information exchanges, shaving off hours of additional work. We are eager to increase public awareness about Extracker and the positive impact their software will have for contractors in the industry.»

Ripley PR was founded in 2013 with a focus on construction, skilled trades and B2B technology public relations. It offers strategic communications services for its clients, including crisis management, media relations and social media strategies. The agency’s unique combination of strategic business accounting and creative public relations help clients build brand awareness, establish positive reputations and drive increased leads and sales.

For more information visit www.ripleypr.com or call (865) 977-1973.

About Extracker

Extracker is the easiest way for construction teams to track change orders. Most contractors and their customers struggle tracking change orders with tools like Excel and email. So, we created a cloud-based collaboration platform to organize the process, helping contractors speed up processing time, increase profits and maintain better customer relationships. The software is completely free to use as a tracking tool and we offer premium features to automate the workflow of creating and processing these documents. Founded by a former general contractor, Extracker is designed to automate the real-world process of creating and tracking time and material tags and change order requests using technology to streamline the workflows. For more information, visit www.extracker.com. 

About Ripley PR

Ripley PR, Inc. is an elite, global B2B public relations agency specializing in construction, franchising, technology, home services and manufacturing. Offering a full range of strategic communication services, including crisis management, media relations and social media strategies, Ripley PR uses a blend of strategic business accounting and creative public relations branding to tell compelling stories and deliver measurable results. Ripley PR is a partner in IPREX, the $420 million network of communication agencies, with 1,600 staff and 110 offices worldwide. For more information, visit ripleypr.com or call (865) 977-1973.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Ripley
Ripley PR
865-977-1973
hripley@ripleypr.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/extracker-selects-ripley-pr-as-public-relations-agency-of-record-301108639.html

SOURCE Ripley PR