Hundreds of lower-income students and families received laptops 鈥� and a greater chance to prosper 鈥� this Martin Luther King Jr. Day thanks to a partnership between 麻豆直播 Consumer and Dallas nonprofit Comp-U-Dopt. This marks the beginning of a $35 million multi-year grant from the 麻豆直播. Foundation aimed at closing the digital divide and providing financial empowerment.
The program will begin with a $7 million investment in Dallas and expand to other communities SC serves to distribute a total of 7,500 laptops. The initiative will connect student households below the 200 percent federal poverty level with computers, free high-speed internet access, bilingual help desk support and digital literacy training. It鈥檚 expected that more than 80 percent of computer recipient households in Dallas earn less than $50,000 a year with an average family size of more than four people.
The pandemic has put the spotlight on the digital divide 鈥� the gap between those who have access to computers, smartphones, and the internet and those who don鈥檛. More than 40 percent of lower-income households do not have reliable high-speed internet access or a computer, according to a 2021 Pew Research Institute study.
鈥淭oday it is difficult, if not nearly impossible, to find a job, complete schoolwork, and connect with vital resources without a computer or reliable internet,鈥� said SC CEO Mahesh Aditya. 鈥淥ur program with Comp-U-Dopt looks to level the playing field, providing families and students with critical computer and digital resources to help them prosper and thrive.鈥�
This is just one of many initiatives SC is undertaking to help bring financial and educational empowerment to our communities. Comp-U-Dopt aims to service 10,000 Dallas households in 2022 and 2023. Interested households can register for a chance to be selected on the organization鈥檚 website.
