Checkers, Microsoft award two schools with $5,000 technology upgrades | Community Spirit

The Charlotte Checkers have awarded two local schools each with $5,000 in technology upgrades, which will consist of $2,500 cash from the team's foundation and $2,500 worth of products and software donated by Microsoft.

The winning schools, Endhaven Elementary and Cornelius Elementary, were determined by a vote on the Checkers' Facebook fan page.

Twenty-four schools, which were chosen from nominations based on the need for a technology upgrade, competed for the top prizes and more than 12,000 votes were cast over 14 days.

The products and software from Microsoft will include Kinect for Windows, Xbox 360 with Kinect, Visual Studio Pro, Windows 7, Office and more. For information on how Microsoft products and services support education, visit www.microsoft.com/education.

The Charlotte Checkers Charitable Foundation (CCCF) is a registered 501C3 that supports community programs which positively impact the lives of children, families and other deserving groups in the Charlotte area.

Since 2006, the Checkers and CCCF have donated more than $2.3 million to the Charlotte community. For more information on this and the Checkers' many community initiatives, please visit www.gocheckers.com.