NEW and Merit Network Host (Lil) Green Patch CEO, David King

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NEW and Merit Network Host (Lil) Green Patch CEO, David King

April 29, 2009

Ann Arbor, Michigan - David King, CEO of (Lil) Green Patch, will be presenting a talk based on social entrepreneurship and virtual economies within Facebook. The presentation will take place in Ann Arbor, MI at the Michigan Information Technology Center, 1000 Oakbrook Drive, at 5:30 p.m. on May 4, 2009. (Lil) Green Patch is a social gardening game that raises money for environmental conservation and is one of the top 10 most popular applications on Facebook. Described as the "granddaddy of green Facebook apps," (Lil) Green Patch has attracted over 80 million registered users since 2008. Backed by advertising dollars, the game has resulted in $10-12,000 a month in donations to The Nature Conservancy and the preservation of over 140 million square feet of rain forest in Costa Rica.

"We're delighted that David will be sharing his expertise with the local IT and nonprofit communities. Michigan is hard pressed for this type of innovation in both sectors so we're eager to learn how virtual games can translate into successful businesses and nonprofit donations. Hopefully this will encourage other IT and nonprofit partnerships," shared Linh Song, NEW's IT program director.

"Social networking presents wonderful opportunities for the communities we serve," noted Elwood Downing, VP of Member Relations, Communications, and Professional Learning for Merit Network. "Merit has a reputation for connecting communities through our fiber networks and email solutions. Creating these connections virtually is the next logical step in IT innovation."

Individuals that should attend the talk include environmental organizations and IT executives eager to learn about social networking, gaming, virtual application design and virtual economies. The event is free and open to the public with registration posted at www.a2newtech.org. King will also be presenting at the Michigan Nonprofit Association SuperConference on Tuesday, May 5, where he will speak on social media along with Linh Song and Allison Fine.

About NEW

NEW is a 501(c)(3) management support organization serving southeast Michigan from offices in Detroit and Ann Arbor. NEW's mission is to help nonprofits succeed by strengthening nonprofit management and offering solutions to issues facing the nonprofit community. Since its founding in 1993, NEW has developed and delivered programming to meet the changing needs of nonprofits, helping them fulfill their missions and better serve the community. NEW currently offers four programs: BoardConnect - board matching, training, consulting, and online resources; npServ -shared IT, administration, and specialized staffing services for nonprofits; ResourceConnect - personalized helpline, information, and resource referral for nonprofit management questions; and the NEW Center - a multi-tenant nonprofit facility with infrastructure and service offerings for tenants. These programs are delivered by NEW in southeast Michigan with BoardConnect also licensed to local service providers in western Michigan, the Upper Peninsula, and North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.new.org.

About Merit Network

Merit Network Inc. is a nonprofit corporation owned and governed by Michigan's public universities. Ferris State University became a Governing Member of Merit Network in 1998. In 1966, Michigan's public universities created Merit as a shared resource to help meet their common need for networking assistance. Since its formation, Merit Network has remained on the forefront of research and education networking expertise and services. Merit provides high-performance networking solutions to Michigan's public universities, colleges, K-12 organizations, libraries, state government, healthcare, and other non-profit organizations. For more information, log on to www.merit.edu.

For press/media contact:

Elwood Downing
Merit Network, Inc.
Phone: (734)527-5702
Email:

Go to the Merit Network News Archive.