The organizing committee from the 300 attendee RVA JavaScript Conference will donate over $11,000 in total to two non-profits bringing equitable computer science skills to Virginians.

RICHMOND–Nov. 20, 2018– RVA Developer Association today announced that it will donate all proceeds from the 2018 RVA JavaScript Conference to CodeVA and the Richmond Chapter of Women Who Code — two non-profits which bring computer science education and opportunities to underrepresented populations in computer science within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“Organizations like Women Who Code and CodeVA are doing the most valuable work of making software engineering accessible to those who will improve and revolutionize our industry over the next two decades,” said Justin Etheredge co-founder of the RVA JavaScript Conference and founder of Simple Thread. “The last thing those organizations should have to worry about during this crucial moment in time is fund-raising.”

The RVA JavaScript Conference was held on November 2nd at the Westin Hotel in Henrico and was attended by 300 people learning from 18 nationally acclaimed speakers and thought-leaders in cutting edge software development best practices. The event was sponsored by Capital One, Altria, Carmax, CoStar, SingleStone, VACO, Homes.com, ChartIQ and was organized by Simple Thread, Recruiting Concepts and Maxx Potential.

CodeVA is a non-profit that partners with schools, parents, and communities to bring equitable computer science education to all of Virginia’s students.

“It is great to have such amazing support from the computer science community in Richmond and beyond,” said CodeVA Executive Director Chris Dovi. “Ensuring our students are ready for future workforce opportunities is essential – there are more than 40,000 open and unfilled computing jobs in Virginia, and Virginia jobs in computing fields are growing at four times the national average among all industries.”

Women Who Code is an international non-profit organization that provides services for women pursuing technology careers and a job board for companies seeking coding professionals. The organization aims to provide an avenue into the technology world by evaluating and assisting women developing technical skills. Women Who Code has a local chapter in Richmond.

“Women Who Code is passionate about helping women achieve their personal best in an industry that is growing faster than ever,” said Trish Mahan of the Richmond Chapter and Principal Technologist at Maxx Potential. “Our Richmond Chapter currently connects over 1,200 women in Richmond with monthly meetups and opportunities for personal growth. RVA JavaScript Conference was founded by a group of passionate developers wanting to bring great content to the Richmond area. It is truly humbling to be surrounded by so many passionate people, and to receive such amazing support, which only helps build the RVA community even stronger.”

Donations to both organizations will be made in honor of Daniel Farrell, who was a mentor and an ardent friend of the software development community in Virginia.

“Innovation and community were founding virtues of the open source software community and were embodied by our fellow conference organizer and friend Daniel Farrell,” RVA JavaScript Conference co-founder and Recruiting Concepts founder Gaelen Kash said. “This year, in dedication to Daniel’s memory, we wanted to exemplify his commitment to community by helping organizations he admired and supported. We thank our sponsors and attendees for helping us to accomplish this important goal.  This is fitting because today, November 20th, is Daniel’s Birthday and we were so honored to have known him.”

About CodeVA
CodeVA is an educational non-profit created to promote computer science all across Virginia. Based in Richmond VA, our teacher training efforts and outreach to districts, parents and policymakers assumes a statewide footprint. CodeVA was founded with the principle that anyone can code, and that every Virginia child has a fundamental right to computer science literacy. Since 2014, CodeVA has taken great strides in making computer science a priority for Virginia. In 2016, Virginia became the first state in the nation to pass sweeping computer science education reform. This law mandates that every Virginia child will receive access to essential computer science literacy – to include coding – from Kindergarten through graduation. CodeVA seeks to build a strong, vibrant 21st century Virginia workforce by providing access to computer science education for every child. Anyone can code. Everyone should.
https://www.codevirginia.org/

About Women Who Code
Women Who Code (WWCode) is an international nonprofit dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers. WWCode is building a world where women are proportionally representative as technical leaders, executives, founders, VCs, board members and software engineers. The organization has executed more than 7,000 free events around the world, garnered a membership exceeding 137,000, and has a presence in 20 countries. Help empower even more women to advance in tech with the training and community they need to succeed by supporting WWCode.
https://womenwhocode.com

About RVA JavaScript Conference
RVA JavaScript Conf is a conference dedicated to all things JavaScript. Founded in 2017, it is run by a team of volunteers in Richmond who share a common goal of bringing the developer community together.
https://www.rvajavascript.com/