In 2004 TOP made 27 grants to organizations as diverse as nonprofit social service providers, city governments, fire protection districts, hospitals, libraries, community development corporations, and tribal consortia.
For only the second time, we made a grant to a faith-based organization, the Center for Urban Missions in Birmingham, Ala. One of nine children, raised by a single parent in a housing project in the city, Pastor Gerald Austin, the project overseer, knows from personal experience that there is hope for those longing to break free from the cycle of poverty. For Pastor Austin, technology is part of the solution to raise the expectations and the skill levels of many of the city's residents. But as Pastor Austin well knows, technology without a sense of hope is like throwing a computer at a drowning man, when what he really needs is a life preserver. Having just returned from Birmingham, I was privileged to meet Pastor Austin, his son, Jonathan, who directs the project, and his Mom, a 74-year-old lady who through grit and determination put all nine of her children through college. Over the next couple of years, the Center will build on its experience in serving the public by establishing several technology centers in the city's poorest areas. With a range of solid partnerships already in place, relevant curriculum tied to the community's economic engines, and a firm understanding of the culture of poverty, the Center is well on its way in addressing yawning economic and social divides. Attached is an excellent article from the Birmingham Post-Herald on this organization's very unique approach to bridging the digital divide. The article is about 2/3 down the page. http://www.postherald.com/me102704.shtml Anthony G. Wilhelm, Ph.D. Director, Technology Opportunities Program National Telecommunications and Information Administration U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Room 4893 Washington, D.C. 20230 (202) 482-1216 fax: (202) 501-5136 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top/ _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
