AT&T Foundation, LULAC to Create Technology Centers in Low-Income Hispanic Communities
AT&T Foundation, LULAC to Create Technology Centers in Low-Income Hispanic Communities
The AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc., and the D.C.-based League of United Latin American Citizens will soon unveil thirty-two new community technology centers in low-income Hispanic communities through LULAC's Empower Hispanic America with Technology initiative.
The centers, scheduled to open by the end of May in nineteen states and Washington, D.C., are being funded through a $1.5 million grant from AT&T AccessAll, the company's three-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative to provide technology access to underserved communities. Each new center will feature computer equipment, support, high-speed Internet service, and videoconferencing. Eight of the new centers will be housed in LULAC National Educational Service Centers, while an additional twenty-four centers will be implemented at non-LNESC locations. "More than 55,000 Latinos received access and instruction on computer technology through AT&T's support in 2004, and we expect this new grant to more than double the number of people we can help," said LULAC national president Rosa Rosales.
According to a recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C., 53 percent of Hispanics who are not online said it is because they do not have access to technology. Empower Hispanic America with Technology is designed to close that gap by giving Hispanics the necessary skills and access to compete in today's technology-driven workplaces.
"In today's digital world, the impact of connecting underserved communities with technology resources is immeasurable as we look at economic mobility," said AT&T Foundation director Sonya Medina. "Our support for the Empower Hispanic America with Technology initiative reflects AT&T's commitment to strengthening education and community development opportunities through technology."
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