Boys & Girls Club opens computer center for kids
Cox Communications donates $100,000 to local youth centers
WOONSOCKET – The Boys & Girls Club of Woonsocket seemed an unlikely stop for the sleek black bus with heavily tinted windows, but the travelers had come all the way from Atlanta on a mission.
The entourage from the corporate headquarters of Cox Communications was here to help bridge the digital divide – putting computers and other high-tech gear within reach of children whose families might otherwise be unable to afford it.
“One of the means to success is to make sure they have access to educational tools and many kids don’t have access to those tools at home,” said Cox Chief Financial Officer Mark Bowser. “We hear stories about families who take their kids to sit outside of McDonald’s so they can get access to a wi-fi signal to do their homework.”
The club was the first of four stops for the representatives of the cable giant as they celebrated the opening of “Cox Technology Centers” at the Kendrick Avenue facility, the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland Lincoln, the East Providence Boys & Girls Club and the Newport Boys & Girls Club. The tech centers were made possible by a gift of $100,000 from the company’s charitable arm, the James M. Cox Foundation. Bowser summarized the deal. “One day, four clubs, 800 kids,” he said, adding: “Unlimited potential.”
A who’s who of dignitaries was on hand to mark the occasion, including Gov. Gina Raimondo, Congressman David Cicilline, Lincoln Town Administrator T. Joseph Almond, State Rep. Ryan Pearson (D-Dist. 19, Cumberland-Lincoln) and State Sen. Roger A. Picard (D-Dist. 20, Woonsocket, Cumberland). A bevy of officials from the Boys & Girls Club organizations joined the hoopla, including Gene Bailey, the director of organizational development for the northeast, whose office is in New York City.
Cox had already donated $250,000 to open 11 technology centers in other
Rhode Island Boys & Girls clubs in the past, but the company said the latest round of grants represented the biggest single-year investment it had made in the state to date.
The clubs can use the funds to customize technology rooms to their needs, Cox said.
Raimondo said the Cox donation complements programs she has been pushing to improve education, including an initiative to offer computer science instruction in every school.
“Every child in Rhode Island deserves a shot at a bright future,” Raimondo said. “These new technology centers build on the progress we’ve made to increase opportunity for all of our kids.”
Daniel Grabowski, the founding director of the Boys & Girls Club of Woonsocket, said the donation would go a long way toward helping the organization spread its core messages of academic success, healthy lifestyles and good character. With new computer equipment, the club will be able to maintain a room in the former Kendrick Avenue School that is equipped to support instruction in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.
“Thank you Cox,” he said, “The STEM center is going to be a tremendous help.”
Candace Jackson, the director of operations for the Boys & Girls Club of Woonsocket, called the donation “a blessing.” Most of the families who send their kids to the club can’t afford the kinds of computer equipment that’s increasingly essential for them to complete common homework assignments.
“The majority of our kids don’t have computers at home,” said Jackson. “They do their homework here.”
The Boys & Girls Club used the Cox grant to replace more than a dozen “all-inone” computers that were up to 10 years old. Some of the funds were also used to assemble equipment for a digital recording and editing studio.
The donation allowed the club to refurbish its older computers and donate them to the families of some of the neediest children in the club community, according to Jackson. Many of those families will qualify for Cox discounts that enable them to purchase a wi-fi signal for just $9 a month.
Bailey said access to modern technology is more important than ever in providing children with an education that gets them ready to function effectively in the real world.
“The Boys & Girls Club of America is excited to see this latest infusion of technology assets and Internet speed in club facilities across Rhode Island,” he said. “The simple fact is this: Club Kids are learning in ways we never thought possible, and stand to benefit from advanced training and technology at an early age.”
Cox said the Rhode Island grant was part of $625,000 it had donated to launch 22 technology centers in Boys & Girls clubs around the country this year.