ConnectKentucky’s Computers 4 Kids Program Facilitates Computer Refurbishment, Donation in Greenup County

In Greenup County, students lead the way for 150 families to soon receive computers, printers, thanks to Greenup County Schools, Rep. Tanya Pullin, AT&T-Kentucky, ConnectKentucky

GREENUP, KY— Greenup County students are getting a unique chance to give back to their community while learning valuable IT job skills. Today, ConnectKentucky’s Computers 4 Kids program announced that 150 refurbished computers will be donated to Greenup County families, as part of a computer refurbishing program underway at Greenup County High School.

Rep. Tanya Pullin (D-South Shore), Greenup County school officials, AT&T-Kentucky President Mary Pat Regan, and ConnectKentucky Executive Director René True gathered at Greysbranch Elementary to announce the donation and the innovative way in which the computers are made available. Funding for this new program is facilitated by ConnectKentucky through a grant from AT&T-Kentucky.

The Greenup County program is unique. The Greenup County Public School system will take older computers from throughout the school system and upgrade them through a computer refurbishment program for teens at Greenup County High School.

High school students will be trained on how to refurbish the computers, which otherwise would have been headed to a local landfill. The students, who are seeking A+ certification in information technology, will reformat the hard drives, install new memory, and make other upgrades to the machines.

The computers will then be distributed to disadvantaged families as identified through the Family Resource and Youth Service Centers in Greenup County. Along with the computers, recipients will receive a printer donated by Lexmark International.

“Greenup County school officials and Rep. Pullin should be commended for taking the initiative to provide home-based technology resources for children and families in their district,” said True. “Old computers will not be trashed, but instead repurposed to teach school children useful technology skills in an environmentally friendly way.”

“This is the perfect example of private and public spheres collaborating to benefit our children,” said Rep. Pullin. “Education doesn’t begin and end during the school day, and this will help 150 families give their children a boost toward a better life. This is an investment in the future of all our citizens. In that sense, it’s one of the smarter economic development projects we can champion, and I am pleased to play a role in it.”

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Related Links:

News Article: Computers to be upgraded by students for home use (Portsmouth Daily Times, 01/23/2011)

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Putnam County District Library Chosen as Grant Sub-recipient, Receives New Computers from Connect Ohio

Library receives 8 new desktop computers to aid statewide program providing more than 200,000 Ohioans with free computer training

COLUMBUS – Connect Ohio is pleased to announce Putnam County District Library is a partner in the statewide Every Citizen Online broadband training project. Connect Ohio distributed 8 new HP Omni desktop computers to library director Kelly Ward Tuesday



“These computers will be replacing old public computers throughout the county,” said Kelly Ward, library director. “This otherwise wouldn’t have been possible after budget cuts and a levy failure.”

The Every Citizen Online program recently received $6.9 million in federal funding, as well as more than $3 million in assistance and contributions from a number of participating entities across the state, to increase the sustainable adoption of broadband services for more than 200,000 state residents. Free computer training sessions will be provided at public libraries and community colleges throughout Ohio to introduce new users to a wide range of communication, education, and healthcare tools available online. Interested adults throughout Ohio are eligible to participate in the program, which is geared toward first-time computer and broadband users.

Putnam County District Public Libraries are providing the self-paced training online at their multiple branch locations.

The coursework includes three sessions covering computer basics, an introduction to the Internet, and discussions about how broadband can be helpful in daily life.

"This is an incredibly exciting program for Ohio. Currently, just 66% of Ohio households subscribe to broadband service, leaving more than three million Ohioans on the wrong side of the digital divide,” Connect Ohio Executive Director Tom Fritz said. “The Every Citizen Online program is an opportunity to close the gap between those who have computer technology at home and those who do not, preparing state residents without high-speed Internet for a technologically-driven society.”

Connect Ohio is a non-profit public-private partnership, whose mission is to see all Ohioans connected to the benefits of high-speed Internet service. Through the Every Citizen Online program, Connect Ohio is assisting libraries and community colleges with the cost of instructors, computers, and public awareness to provide training to as many as 200,000 new users over the next two years.

Other partners in the program include the State Library of Ohio, The Ohio Association of Broadcasters, The Ohio Public Television Stations, Ohio Public Radio, Groundwork Group, the Ohio Public Library Information Network, and a wide variety of libraries and community colleges across the state. Computer companies, such as Intel and Microsoft, have expressed interest in the project and many broadband service providers across Ohio are working to ensure that participants can easily get online by providing special incentives to first-time broadband subscribers who complete the training.

Connect Ohio's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) matching grant is awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). BTOP provides grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service.

View Connect Ohio’s Every Citizen Online televised public service announcements: http://connectohio.org/consumer_training/media.php.

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Connected Nation Among Best Places to Work in 2011

FRANKFORT – Connected Nation, a leading national nonprofit technology services organization, has been selected as one of the best places to work in Kentucky for 2011. The honor was announced today by the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management State Council, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and Best Companies Group.

Connected Nation, with a program footprint that spans more than 30 states and territories from Alaska to Puerto Rico, is currently managing broadband expansion programs in more than 13 states and territories across the nation. With its core operations office based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Connected Nation was named one of the “Top 26 Best Places to Work in Kentucky” in the small/medium-sized employer category (those employing 25-249 U.S. employees).

“At Connected Nation we believe strongly that the talent and well-being of our team combined with a corporate culture that fosters creativity and freedom to solve challenges makes for a powerful recipe for serving our partners, clients, and stakeholders,” said Connected Nation CEO Brian Mefford.

“This is a tremendous honor that underscores our goal to continuously raise that standard of excellence to remain among the best places to work. Connected Nation’s ability to attract and retain great people is paramount to our ultimate commitment to serving the public good,” Mefford said.

Connected Nation has employees across the country working with state and local stakeholders to create economic development opportunities through technology expansion. The award is based in part from surveys of the Connected Nation employees based in Kentucky.

“We believe that offering an enriching work environment is a key part of our mission. We truly value our employees and strive to ensure that we have a culture that conveys our commitment to them,” said Tracie Rotermann, Connected Nation’s human resources manager.

The Best Places to Work statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize, and honor the best places of employment in Kentucky, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce, and businesses. The Best Places to Work in Kentucky 2011 list is made up of 65 companies.

To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
• Have at least 25 employees working in Kentucky;
• Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity;
• Be a publicly or privately held business;
• Have a facility in the state of Kentucky; and
• Must be in business a minimum of 1 year.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Places to Work in Kentucky. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Kentucky and also analyzed the data and used its expertise to determine the final rankings.

Connected Nation will be honored along with the other winners at the Best Places to Work in Kentucky 7th Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at the Lexington Convention Center, where the final rankings will be announced.

For more information on the Best Places to Work in Kentucky program, visit http://bestplacestoworkky.com/.

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ConnectKentucky to honor the Commonwealth’s technology leaders

Annual Tech Day, sponsored by CBTS, to be held at Great American Ball Park

Frankfort, KY— ConnectKentucky will again honor the Commonwealth’s technology leaders at its 2011 Tech Day on April 29, 2011.

The 5th annual awards will be presented at a new venue – Great American Ball Park before the Cincinnati Reds host the Florida Marlins. The event is sponsored this year by CBTS. ConnectKentucky is soliciting nominations for awards in the following categories:

• Small Business Technology Award goes to a small business that has successfully used broadband technology to broaden its customer reach and provide a positive example of technology use and capabilities in the Commonwealth.
• Large Business Technology Award goes to a large business that has successfully used broadband technology to broaden its customer reach and act as a leader in technology use in the Commonwealth.
• New and Emerging Business Technology Award goes to a start-up business that has successfully used broadband technology as a vehicle for growth and has acted as a model for other emerging Kentucky businesses.
• Secondary Student Technology Award goes to a Kentucky high school student who has recognized the benefits of using broadband technology and promotes and implements its use in creative and inspiring ways.
• Postsecondary Student Technology Award goes to a Kentucky college student who has recognized the benefits of using broadband technology and promotes and implements its use in creative and inspiring ways.
• School District Technology Award goes to a Kentucky school district that has successfully used broadband technology to enhance the educational capacity of its institutions as well as inform students and parents of the value of broadband adoption.
• Postsecondary Institution Technology Award goes to a Kentucky postsecondary institution that has successfully used broadband technology to enhance its educational capacity as well as provide students with an improved educational experience us¬ing broadband technology.
• Government Leadership in Technology Award goes to a state or local government that has utilized broadband technology to improve effectiveness and effi¬ciency in areas such as budgeting and service delivery.

Nominations are due by April 1, 2011. For more information about the nominations or to receive a nomination form, contact ConnectKentucky Executive Director René True at rtrue@connectky.org. More information and downloadable nomination forms are available at www.connectkentucky.org.

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