Retail Orphan Initiative Secures IBM as First Founding Level Sponsor

RetailROI, the Retail Orphan Initiative, has secured IBM as the first Founding Level Sponsor in its corporate logo program. Through the sponsorship, IBM will help advance RetailROI's efforts to channel goods and resources to vulnerable children around the world.

Along with the sponsorship, IBM is now matching donations from employees to RetailROI. The technology giant will also sponsor the RetailROI SuperSaturday event for retailers and analysts, taking place just prior to the National Retail Federation show in New York City on January 8, 2011. Other SuperSaturday sponsors include HP, Intel, Epson, Verizon Business, TekservePOS, Sprint, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, C-Core Consulting Group, RetailConnections and IHL Group.

"We are honored to have IBM join RetailROI as a corporate sponsor," said Greg Buzek, donor trustee for the Initiative. "IBM sits in the center of the retail universe and we are delighted that they are joining our efforts to help usher in more opportunities to help millions of children around the world."

According to UNICEF, there are over 163 million orphaned children worldwide, more than the entire population of Russia. The Retail Orphan Initiative was created as a charitable foundation to help fund charities that are on the forefront of orphan care, providing food, shelter, education, medial treatment, clothing, adoption and foster care.

"We are pleased to support the RetailROI as part of our global corporate citizenship efforts," said Karen Lowe, general manager of global retail industry for IBM. "Raising awareness around orphan issues is just the first step; we hope that our collaboration with RetailROI will result in tangible improvements for orphan care, foster care and adoption support."