Comcast To Pledge $25K To Warrren/Holyfield Boys & Girls Club

by Patch Staff

 Cable provider Comcast Corp. plans to kick off the second year of its Internet Essentials Program in Atlanta through a partnership with the Warren/Holyfield Boys & Girls Club in Grant Park, the Technology Association of Georgia and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in an initiative designed to boost digital literacy among youth.

As part of that initiative, Comcast is expected to announce on Thursday $85,000 in technology grants including a $60,000 Club Tech Grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta and $25,000 to fund the 2012-2013 Digital Connectors program at Warren/Holyfield Boys & Girls Club.

Comcast launched Internet Essentials in Georgia last year in a special ceremony at Drew Charter School in East Lake.

Digital Connectors is an educational program designed to teach underserved youth skills in digital literacy, computer programming and refurbishment. The event will also recognize Brandon Maldonado, a local Boys & Girls Club member whose video game titled “Bi-Pedal” was recently awarded top honors at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Digital Arts Festival.

Available to 111,111 low-income families who receive a free or reduced lunch under the National School Lunch Program in 28 metro Atlanta area school districts, the goal of Internet Essentials is to help close the digital divide and ensure more Americans benefit from all the Internet has to offer.

The program expanded this past year to include eligibility for children on the reduced lunch program thereby offering the program to thousands more students in 28 metro Atlanta school districts. Atlanta has experienced the second-highest achieved enrollment with 5,500 students benefitting the Internet Essentials program. Atlanta’s enrollment is second only to Chicago since the program’s launch in August 2011.