Connected Tennessee’s Computers 4 Kids "Preparing Tennessee's Next Generation for Success" program awarded the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee with more than 150 brand new computers this week. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded the project, which deploys computers, academic support programs, and workforce training to two at-risk, populations: those in the state's foster care system who are "aging out" as they turn 18, and youth who are active in the state’s 76 Boys & Girls Clubs. Over the next three years, the program hopes to impact the lives of nearly 60,000 youngsters across the state.
State Senator Bill Ketron, an enthusiastic supporter of the program since its launch a little over three years ago, said that the program's impact in Middle Tennessee is "significant."
“Over the past three years, Connected Tennessee’s Computers 4 Kids program has changed the lives of children across Tennessee with the gift of technology,” stated Ketron. “This program has made great strides in closing the digital divide in Tennessee by putting computers into the hands of those citizens that need them the most, and the ‘Preparing Tennessee’s Next Generation for Success’ project is going to impact nearly 60,000 more deserving youth. Today I congratulate the Computers 4 Kids program for launching this new phase of the program and I wish Connected Tennessee much continued success in the future.”
The program is the result of a $2.3 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant awarded to the C4K program in August 2010 by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). BTOP gives grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service.
For more information on the program, check out www.connectedtennessee.org.
