Families in Charleston Promise Neighborhood Schools Receive Gifted Refurbished Laptops
In a collective effort to bridge the digital divide in North Charleston, South Carolina, students and families at three local Charleston Promise Neighborhood schools have been gifted refurbished laptops. This initiative is spearheaded by PCs for People, a non-profit organization, in collaboration with the Magnolia Blossom Foundation, which has provided the funding for the project.
Details of the Initiative
The chosen recipients from Chicora Elementary, Mary Ford Early Learning & Family Engagement Center, and Sanders Clyde Elementary Schools were determined by the school leadership based on their notable improvements in attendance, behavior, academics, and parent engagements.
The refurbishing process was made possible through the support of the Magnolia Blossom Foundation, which not only funded this initiative but also granted funds to Palmetto Goodwill. The latter will distribute refurbished laptops to adults seeking employment in the area, thereby maximizing the reach of this digital inclusion project.
Benefitting the Local Community
Sherrie Snipes-Williams, the Chief Executive Officer of Charleston Promise Neighborhood, emphasized the critical role technology can play in enhancing academic and social outcomes. “Providing access to technology is another way to improve academic and social outcomes for our students and their families,” she explained.
For Kevin Myers, the founder of the Magnolia Blossom Foundation, the partnership with PCs for People represents a crucial step in ensuring tech inclusion. “We want families who need a computer in their own homes to have access to information for education, employment, and healthcare,” he said. “Partnering with PCs for people seemed like a win-win — students should be able to continue learning and adults should be able to seek and attain employment.”
About the Charleston Promise Neighborhood Initiative
Charleston Promise Neighborhood was created in 2010 with a mission to “ensure that every child and family” in the locality has the support required to thrive. The refurbished laptop initiative marks yet another significant stride towards actualizing this vision, as it helps to reduce the technological divide faced by many families in the area.
Impact on the Local Economy
This project could have far-reaching impacts on the local economy. By ensuring access to technology for education and employment, the initiatives can potentially elevate the community’s socio-economic status through improved education outcomes and enhanced employment opportunities. This, in turn, could lead to growth and development of the local economy over time.
With the digital divide remaining a persistent challenge in many parts of the world, efforts such as this one taking place in North Charleston serve as an encouraging model of community development through technological inclusion.
