MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, April 15, 2011 — Sugar Labs®, software provider to the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, will sponsor Team Chipotle, the Continental cycling team owned and operated by Slipstream Sports LLC, in a groundbreaking arrangement which will raise funds to support the nonprofit's educational mission. Team Chipotle will raise awareness for Sugar Labs at races around the world with team jerseys carrying the Sugar Labs logo.
"Team Chipotle has grown out of our founding goal of developing the next generation of cycling champions. Every kid loves a bike race and young cyclists provide great role models for children," said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports. "We want to make a difference in the lives of young athletes and children and our innovative sponsorship arrangement with Sugar Labs is part of that."
The team will race over the next ten days in the 68th Vuelta Ciclista del Uruguay 2011 and pupils there will participate, taking photos and writing articles with their green XO laptops as the race passes through their towns, and e-mailing them to Email for posting to a blog (http://www.sugarlabs.org/vueltaciclista). The best articles will win prizes to be awarded at the eduJAM! Developers Summit, which will take place in Montevideo, May 5-7 (http://ceibaljam.org).
"Sports and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) have a great synergy. We are excited by the prospect of engaging children in learning math and science through their excitement about the race," said Walter Bender, founder and Executive Director of Sugar Labs.
Uruguay is the first country in the world to provide 100% of its elementary school pupils and teachers – over half a million – with an OLPC XO laptop running Sugar through its Plan Ceibal (http://www.ceibal.edu.uy).
According to Gabriel Eirea of ceibalJAM!, "This race is, after football, the most popular sports event in the country and is an integral part of our local culture. Every year during Holy Week this race passes through the remotest towns of the country and is followed by hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic viewers. The volunteer community supporting Plan Ceibal, represented by RAP Ceibal and ceibalJAM!, wants to promote the use of XO laptops beyond the schools, inside the communities, advocating technology appropriation. With Sugar and the XO, our children don't just consume content, they create it. During the race, children throughout the country will be blogging about the team. At eduJAM!, Sugar Labs developers will meet children who are at the center of their mission and benefit from their work."
Image: http://www.ereleases.com/pic/2011-ChipotleDevelopmentTeam_RedlandsCyclingClassic.jpg
For more information, please contact:
Sugar Labs: Sean Daly, Marketing Coordinator
website: http://www.sugarlabs.org
e-mail: Email
telephone: +1-617-500-9610
About Sugar Labs®: Sugar Labs, a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization, is a member project of the Software Freedom Conservancy. Originally part of the One Laptop Per Child project, Sugar Labs coordinates volunteers around the world who are passionate about providing educational opportunities to children through the Sugar Learning Platform. Sugar Labs is supported by donations and is seeking funding and volunteers to accelerate development. For more information, please visit http://www.sugarlabs.org.
About Slipstream Sports LLC: Founded in 2005, Slipstream Sports LLC is a highly progressive sports management company dedicated solely to promoting the ethical growth of cycling and developing the next generation of cycling champions. For more information, please visit http://www.slipstreamsports.com.
Sugar Labs is a registered trademark of the Software Freedom Conservancy. Other names are trademarks of their respective owners.
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