Boys & Girls Club, Branches and Orange Bowl to collaborate in laptop distribution.
What’s the news?
More than 300 laptops will be given to Miami students and families as part of AT&T’s nationwide commitment to help bridge the digital divide. AT&T is working with Compudopt to provide Boys & Girls Club, Branches and Orange Bowl with computers and other resources. The computers, funded by an AT&T donation to Compudopt, will be given to Miami area residents in need to help them fully participate in our digital world.
Why is this important?
In Miami-Dade, it’s estimated that more than 74,000 K-12 students1 don’t have access to the internet, computers or skills needed at home to benefit from the online world, an issue known as the digital divide.
These efforts are part of the AT&T Connected Learning initiative, created as part of our companywide, $2 billion commitment from 2021- 2023, to help address the digital divide through internet accessibility, affordability and safe adoption.
The Boys & Girls Club, Branches and Orange Bowl all strive to support young people in the Miami area, especially those in underserved neighborhoods, making these organizations a natural fit to facilitate the distribution of computers to students and families in need. Providing students and families with computers will give them the opportunity to gain the access needed to thrive in this modern world. From completing homework to filling out job applications, they are connected to a greater possibility.
What are people saying?
“The AT&T Laptop distribution is an incredibly valuable opportunity for working families and entrepreneurs to be able to have access to the latest personal technology,” said Brent McLaughlin, President & CEO, Branches. “In our interconnected world, this is an invaluable gift that will have huge impacts for these families! Thank you to AT&T for ensuring that everyone has access to needed technology.”
“Orange Bowl is extremely proud to partner with AT&T to provide kids from its Orange Bowl Cares programs with laptops that will help facilitate advanced learning,” said Orange Bowl Committee President & Chair Yvonne Johnson-Phillips. “For students of all ages, access to computers is essential to expanding opportunities for academic success, and we are pleased to be able to provide South Florida youth with these progressive resources.”
“I applaud AT&T for providing more than 300 laptops to Miami-Dade students and for joining forces with Compudopt, Boys & Girls Club, Branches, and the Orange Bowl to help bridge the digital divide in our community,” said Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson. “The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that access to computers and the internet at home are crucial for students. Thanks to AT&T and its partners, hundreds of students and their families will have access to remote learning and other opportunities. It takes a village to bridge the digital divide. Public and private entities must do their part and join forces to maximize impact. That’s why I proudly supported President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which allocates essential funding to expand broadband and digital equity in communities like Miami-Dade.”
“AT&T is proud to collaborate with organizations like Compudopt to help close the digital equity gap in South Florida. Many students in Miami lack the devices needed for online learning,” said Joe York, president, AT&T Gulf States. “Access to computers is vital in helping to bridge the digital divide and we are glad we can provide these resources to those that need them most.”
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade
Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade has been serving youth in the community since 1946. What once was a single building and site for boys has grown to six Clubs and sites combined serving thousands of boys and girls year-round, providing programs in the areas of character and leadership development, educational enhancement, career preparation, health and life skills, cultural arts and sports, fitness and recreation. Club staffing, initiatives, and programs are designed to inspire and enable area youth and provide them with the resources to succeed and share in the American Dream. For more information, please call 305.446.9910 or visit:
- www.bgcmia.org
- www.facebook.com/BoysGirlsClubsMiamiDade
- www.instagram.com/bgcmiamidade
- www.twitter.com/BGCMia
- www.youtube.com/user/BGCMiamiDade
About Branches
For 50 years, Branches has made a positive impact in the community by delivering on its mission to serve, educate and inspire people through student, family and financial wellness services. Branches provides life-changing opportunities to hardworking families and their children to help them break the cycle of generational poverty. For more information about Branches, please contact Isabelle Pike at 305-206-5689 or [email protected] or visit Branches at www.branchesfl.org.
About Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl is a 396-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl’s community outreach is embodied by the four pillars of its Orange Bowl Cares program: Youth Sports, Education, Community Engagement and Legacy Programs. Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the 2023 Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. For more information on the 2023 Orange Bowl events, including promotional inquiries and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program, log on to orangebowl.org or follow @OrangeBowl on social media.
*About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T
We’re committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities, and improving lives. As part of our companywide $2 billion commitment from 2021- 2023 to address the digital divide, we launched AT&T Connected Learning to invest in connectivity and technology, digital literacy, and education solutions to help today’s learners succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Since 2008 we’ve committed to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.
