Partner Spotlight
Terakeet & Cause For The Cuse
A Syracuse company and its employee-founded charity have helped put backpacks on the shoulders of local students — and they are standing with us again for the 2026 Youth Day Celebration & Backpack Giveaway.
Who they are
Headquartered in Syracuse, NY, Terakeet is the premier reputation management partner for Fortune 500 corporations and distinguished individuals worldwide. Terakeet is led by CEO Mac Cummings, who has strategically expanded its operational capabilities and team of experts since co-founding the company with Pat Danial in 2001. Today, Terakeet helps its renowned clients navigate and retain ownership of their brand reputation and presence across the digital ecosystem, including traditional search and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. In addition to its proven track record of delivering unmatched results for an ever-evolving range of client needs, Terakeet has been named a certified Great Place To Work for nine consecutive years and has earned recognition and awards from Fortune, Inc., Digiday, and Built In for its resolute commitment to company-wide excellence. Guided by five foundational values, Terakeet fosters a workplace culture of empowerment, innovation, and social responsibility that extends into the communities where its employees work and live.
In 2013, Terakeet employees came together to found Cause For The Cuse (CFTC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting students in the Syracuse City School District. Every year since, the Terakeet team has organized fundraising events to advance that mission, with all proceeds going directly to academic resources, essential school supplies, technology, and external educational programs.
- 2013Cause For The Cuse founded by Terakeet employees
- 20,000+Syracuse students supported
- 30Syracuse-area schools reached
Why it matters here
The children Cause For The Cuse serves are the same children who line up at Meachem Field every August. Our Annual Youth Day Celebration & Backpack Giveaway sends every registered student home with a backpack and a full set of grade-appropriate school supplies — and it runs entirely on the generosity of partners like Terakeet.
Their support helps us cover:
- Backpacks and grade-appropriate school supplies for every registered student
- Food, music, and a free full day of celebration for families
- On-site community partners offering clothing, health, and education resources
- Year-round distribution that continues after the main event, so no child is left behind
A partnership that keeps showing up
In August 2025, when we ran low on backpacks partway through the giveaway, Terakeet stepped up — Cause For The Cuse donated $10,000 so that no child went home empty-handed. The story was covered by syracuse.com. Terakeet and Cause For The Cuse continued the partnership in 2026, donating another $10,000 to the giveaway.
Terakeet is listed among our Youth Day Celebration sponsors year after year, and Cause For The Cuse continues to support the Mary Nelson Youth Center alongside other Syracuse organizations working with local students. That kind of steady, repeated commitment is what allows us to plan bigger each year and promise families that the doors will be open again come August.
On behalf of every student who walks away from Meachem Field ready for the first day of school: thank you, Terakeet and Cause For The Cuse.
More about our partners
- About TerakeetThe leading reputation management and generative AI optimization firm behind the partnership
- Terakeet’s Community ImpactHow the company supports the Syracuse area and beyond.
- Cause For The CuseTerakeet’s employee-founded 501(c)(3) for Syracuse students
- Terakeet NewsroomTheir write-up of the 2025 gift to our youth center