ConnectME
Donation protected
“Without the Internet at home, I am behind in school. I’m scared that I won’t be able to catch up.”
-Lafayette high school senior
According to the 2013 Census, one in four Americans does not have Internet access at home; those with the lowest medium income rates are most affected. Closing the “digital divide” is essential to ensuring that all is benefitting from the same pool of economic and social resources. This is particularly important for young people. Seven out ten K-12 teachers currently assign homework that requires online resources; those without broadband are unable to complete them, putting them at a significant disadvantage (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/technology/fcc-internet-access-school.html?_r=0). This page has been created to support low-income students in Lafayette, Colorado. One hundred percent of funding generated through this site will be used to provide them and their families with free Internet access at home.
My introduction- Why are we doing this project?
My name is Kern Shahi and I am a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, where I earned a degree in Information Systems and Finance and was one of 15 Puksta Scholars. As part of the scholarship program, I developed a proposal to close the “digital divide” in Lafayette, where I attended public school.
I feel obligated to support a community that has supported me. My current focus is to provide low-income households within Boulder County, particularly Lafayette with free Internet.
Current Partners
I am honored to have received support from multiple individuals and organizations. I am currrently partnering with two agencies to implement ConnectME:
Serving as my fiscal sponsor, the Empowerment Center of East County is a Lafayette-based, youth leadership nonprofit that seeks to cultivate the inherent capacities of young people through the arts and service-learning. For more information, visit www.EmpowermentCenterEastCounty.org
Comcast’s Internet Essentials program provides Internet services to low-income households at a discounted rate of $9.95 a month; funding generated through this campaign would cover these fees. For more information, see https://www.internetessentials.com/
-Lafayette high school senior
According to the 2013 Census, one in four Americans does not have Internet access at home; those with the lowest medium income rates are most affected. Closing the “digital divide” is essential to ensuring that all is benefitting from the same pool of economic and social resources. This is particularly important for young people. Seven out ten K-12 teachers currently assign homework that requires online resources; those without broadband are unable to complete them, putting them at a significant disadvantage (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/technology/fcc-internet-access-school.html?_r=0). This page has been created to support low-income students in Lafayette, Colorado. One hundred percent of funding generated through this site will be used to provide them and their families with free Internet access at home.
My introduction- Why are we doing this project?
My name is Kern Shahi and I am a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, where I earned a degree in Information Systems and Finance and was one of 15 Puksta Scholars. As part of the scholarship program, I developed a proposal to close the “digital divide” in Lafayette, where I attended public school.
I feel obligated to support a community that has supported me. My current focus is to provide low-income households within Boulder County, particularly Lafayette with free Internet.
Current Partners
I am honored to have received support from multiple individuals and organizations. I am currrently partnering with two agencies to implement ConnectME:
Serving as my fiscal sponsor, the Empowerment Center of East County is a Lafayette-based, youth leadership nonprofit that seeks to cultivate the inherent capacities of young people through the arts and service-learning. For more information, visit www.EmpowermentCenterEastCounty.org
Comcast’s Internet Essentials program provides Internet services to low-income households at a discounted rate of $9.95 a month; funding generated through this campaign would cover these fees. For more information, see https://www.internetessentials.com/
Organizer and beneficiary
ConnectMe Lafayette
Organizer
Lafayette, CO
Elaina Verveer
Beneficiary