Project Connect Bridges Digital Divide

From: Phil de Haan <dehp@calvin.edu>
Date: Mon Jun 05 2006 - 14:31:46 EDT

June 5, 2006 == MEDIA ADVISORY

For the sixth straight summer an innovative program from Calvin College called
Project Connect is helping bridge the digital divide, the gap between those who
have access to and the skills to use technology and those who do not.

Project Connect is providing both basic computers and information literacy to
people in the Grand Rapids area via technology training classes and computers
for all participants.

The course covers the basic administration skills that parents need to
maintain a family computer, and at the end they are given a computer that is
theirs to keep.

"They're used," says Calvin computer science professor Keith VanderLinden,
"but very functional machines."

The classes meet this month at three locations: Calvin, CentrePointe Church in
Kentwood and Grace Korean Church in the Burton Heights neighborhood.

At Calvin and Burton Heights the classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings
from now until June 15. At CentrePointe the class meets on Monday and Wednesday
evenings from now until June 14.

Each location also sees Calvin working with a community partner. At Calvin the
partner is the GT Resource Network, at CentrePointe it is the Homework House
Program and at Grace Korean Church it is the Garfield Park Neighborhoods
Association. Calvin's community relations office is instrumental in
coordinating those partnerships.

Contact VanderLinden at 616-526-7111
Also contact Calvin's Carol Rienstra, director of community relations, at
616-526-6175

For the full story see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2005_06/project_connect.htm

-end-
Received on Mon Jun 5 14:32:12 2006

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