For the Health of the Community:

NSA/CSS' on-site Blood Donor Program has been operating in partnership with the American Red Cross for over a quarter of a century. Agency employees donate the largest amount of blood (approximately 500 units per month) to the Chesapeake/Potomac region. Recently, when the regional American Red Cross was scheduled to ship emergency blood supplies to Africa in the wake of the embassy bombings (it was the only chapter scheduled to ship blood in the U.S.), NSA/CSS employees provided an overwhelming response to ensure that the local supply didn't run out.

Approximately 217 preliminary bone marrow screenings were collected in 2002. More than 4,500 NSA employee names are listed in the National Registry. Of those listed, 23 employees were called upon to donate. Bone marrow matching probability is about 1 in 20,000. The agency donor rate is considered quite high, especially in view of the NSA's declining population. Bone marrow transplantation is the preferred treatment for more than 50 fatal disorders, and it is estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans are in need of a transplant each year.

A partnership with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center enables employees to donate white cells or platelets through hemapheresis extraction, on site. Each donation process takes between 2 1/2 and 3 hours. In 2002, approximately 156 employees participated in this type of donation.

Partnership with Education:

NSA/CSS' Project OUTREACH provides excess computers and laboratory equipment to non-profit educational institutions to support mathematics and science education. Equipment with an initial purchase price valuation of over $35 million was donated to approximately 100 schools in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

NSA/CSS' "Partners in Education" program is a collaboration between NSA/CSS and three local schools. Today, the program has over 350 volunteers who help repair school equipment, install and maintain computers, mentor students, and sponsor a variety of activities.

The High School Work Study (HSWS) Program at NSA/CSS has existed for more than 30 years. HSWS participants are given many career opportunities and responsibilities as clerical assistants and computer aides, and become part of the NSA/CSS team. More than 3,000 high school seniors from local area high schools have participated in the HSWS Program to date, and over 1,660 of them have accepted employment with NSA/CSS following graduation.

The Mathematics Education Partnership Program (MEPP) is an Agency outreach program to promote math and science education. It works with nearly 500 local schools and is designed to encourage the learning of math and the use of technology in the classroom.

We are proud to have a Gifted and Talented Program for local area high school students who are in the top ranks of their high school and show an interest and aptitude in electrical engineering or computer science. The students work part time at NSA/CSS during the summer following their junior and senior years of high school. With a mentor's assistance, they engage in research and developmental projects relating to real work applications in electrical engineering or computer science.

One of NSA/CSS' oldest educational programs is the Cooperative Education Program (Co-op). This nationally recognized program allows college students to integrate classroom study with practical work experience at NSA/CSS in the areas of computer science, engineering, and selected foreign languages. NSA/CSS currently employs 163 Co-ops from 50 colleges and universities.

NSA/CSS has been a leader in supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions. To increase the opportunities for these institutions to participate in and benefit from federal programs, and to assist in strengthening their ability to provide quality education, NSA/CSS provided $3 million in FY98, with $950 thousand being disbursed locally.

Environmental Protection:

In 2002, the NSA/CSS recycled more than 3,800 tons of aluminum, cardboard, toner cartridges, classified aluminum platters, paper, lead acid batteries and other recyclable materials.

NSA/CSS' Secure Paper Conversion Services Work Center declassifies and recycles all water-soluble paper through the operation of a wet vat and baler system. After paper is converted to pulp, it is transported to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO), sold to paper companies and converted into various paper and cardboard products such as pizza boxes, clothing boxes, and wrappings for food products.

The revenue generated from the recovery of precious metals in the debris left over from declassifying the NSA/CSS' film and printed circuit boards goes to the U.S. Treasury. Over the past ten years, NSA/CSS has returned over $7.8 million to the Treasury Department from its recycling efforts.

Since developing a partnership with a private electronics recycler in February 1997, the NSA/CSS has generated more than $2.8 million in revenue through its computer recycling operation.

Volunteering and Working for Charity:

Approximately 19.65 percent of the total contributions received by the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) of Central Maryland (which distributes monetary contributions to charity) come from Agency employees. Contributions made in 2003 enabled NSA/CSS' distinction as a member of the "Million Dollar Club" to continue for a 17th year in a row. NSA employees contributed $1,596,199.20 to the CFC Campaign in 2003.

NSA/CSS' "VolunteerLink" Program connects NSA/CSS employees with volunteer service opportunities in their communities.