Gates family joins United Way for Mary M. Gates Learning Center dedication
United Way Worldwide and the Gates family dedicated the Mary M. Gates Learning Center on October 13. The Center was made possible through a generous gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in honor of their late wife and mother. Other major donors for the Center include Deloitte, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, thePrincipal Financial Group and several individual donors. Microsoft Corporation gave a generous donation of technology and software.
Overlooking the Potomac, the building features state-of-the-art communications and learning technology, to aid in advancing the common good, expanding best practice sharing and learning around education, income and health uniting us on a global scale. Construction has been completed with the goal of attaining Gold LEED certification for high-performance green buildings.
The ribbon-cutting and dedication were followed by a technology demonstration in a Global Interactive Session focused on financial stability, hosted by Dr. Michael Sherraden, a microfinance expert, social development professor and one of Time Magazine’s 2010 Top 100 Most Influential People. United Ways from San Francisco, Mumbai, India and the Vaal Region of South Africa connected with United Way Worldwide through the Center’s technology.