Technology
For All - Occasional Update August 2002
We bring technology to underserved communities
Information and News about our work in Houston, Denver, Cleveland and other cities
around the U.S.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS
Brown Foundation makes $250,000 Matching Grant to TFA for STREET U
National Workforce Initiative
Computer Donations Needed-22 Groups begin TFA-Houston RFC Process
Kirbyjon Caldwell Joins Technology For All Board
Community Technology Regional Meeting to be hosted by TFA at TSU, November 8-9,
2002
Delphi Marketing Provides Pro-bono services
Digital Steppingstones
Misión Milby
Centra Gift
Online Donation Opportunities
Latino Technology Network Project
Staff Update
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brown Foundation makes $250,000 Matching Grant to TFA for STREET U
TFA recently received notice that it had received a $250,000 one-to-one matching
grant from the Brown Foundation for the STREET U Initiative. The STREET U initiative
is a collaborative workforce development program planned over the next three years
that will create a seamless path of opportunity for unemployed and underemployed
persons served by more than 150 affiliated community technology centers across
the Houston area. Working together with TFA on the STREET U initiative are Technology
For All-Houston, The Telecom Opportunity Institute (http://www.ttoi.org/)
and the Houston Area Technology Advancement Center (http://www.hatac.org)
. Every dollar raised by TFA for the STREET U initiative will be matched dollar
for dollar by the Brown Foundation up to $250,000. TFA has begun its fundraising
effort toward this initial goal and hopes to announce additional cash gifts soon
toward the three-year program that will create educational and economic opportunities
in Houston's low-income communities. Several million dollars of In-kind contributions
for STREET U have already been committed from FYI-Net (http://www.fyi-net.com/
), SmartForce (http://www.smartforce.com/corp/marketing/),
and C-TREC (http://www.c-trec.com) in addition
to the shared value and capacity of the program partners. A donation of $100 to
STREET U will be matched dollar for dollar and help two persons get started in
the program. A donation of $500 will will help those two persons finish the program.
STREET U is an example of TFA's ability to serve the underserved by leveraging
cash contributions 30 to 1.
National Workforce Initiative
Through a relationship with the America Connects Consortium, a U. S. Department
of Education funded program, which supports community technology, TFA is implementing
a national workforce initiative in collaboration with community technology centers
(CTCs-computer labs) across the United States. The initiative utilizes over 2000
online courses from SmartForce and TFA's facilitated distance learning model that
TFA developed around the SmartForce courseware over the past eighteen months.
Utilizing this rich resource, students at CTCs will be able to prepare for better
job opportunities in their communities.Organizations already utilizing these resources
include grass roots groups in Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and several
cities in Texas and Florida. TFA is developing relationships with groups from
Hawaii to Mississippi. TFA's goal through the program will be to help create a
more diverse better trained workforce and help underserved persons take their
rightful place in the new economy. For more information go to http://www.techforall.org/subpages/workforceinit.htm
.
Computer Donations Needed-22 Groups begin TFA-Houston RFC Process
Since January 1, 42 community-based organizations have received computers from
TFA-Houston through the Request For Computer Process. These computers have been
redeployed from corporate donations for the purpose of creating local community
techology centers serving Houston's underserved communities. Twenty-two new groups
have begun the "request for computers" process and are hoping to receive
computers for education and training in their communities on Saturday, November
16. However, the cupboard is almost bare. If your company is replacing computers
on the desktops of your employees, consider donating the Pentium II class machines
or faster to TFA. In order to fulfill all the existing requests for computers
we will need at least 350 computer donations by October 15. Technology For All
has also served as a distribution channel for corporate computer donations to
community technology initiatives in Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Cleveland, San
Antonio and 15 other U.S. cities. For more information about making a donation
of computers call 713.961.0012 and speak to Pam Gardner or Douglas Caldwell or
check the TFA website at http://www.techforall.org/donations.htm
.
Kirbyjon Caldwell Joins Technology For All Board
Technology For All recently elected Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell to its Board of Directors.
Pastor Caldwell brings important skills and diversity to the board and joins other
board members of national prominence such as Jack Valenti, President of the Motion
Picture Association of America. Kirbyjon H. Caldwell is the Senior Pastor of Windsor
Village United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. Pastor Caldwell is a native
Houstonian who was educated in Houston Public Schools. He holds a B. A. in Economics
from Carleton College, an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania's
Wharton School of Business, an M.Th. from Perkins School of Theology at Southern
Methodist University, and two honorary Doctor of Law degrees. Pastor Caldwell
and Windsor Village UMC have been featured in numerous media sources including
The Wall Street Journal, U. S. News and World Report, Fortune and several television
news programs.
Community Technology Regional Meeting at TSU, November 8-9, 2002
In collaboration the America Connects Consortium, community leaders and several
colleges at Texas Southern University (TSU), Technology For All and Technology
For All-Houston will be helping host a regional meeting for Community Technology
and Community Development Practitoners at TSU on November 8-9, 2002. Using the
theme of Dr. Lisa Servon's new book, Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology,
Community, and Public Policy, the meeting will bring together persons from Houston
and across Texas interested in utilizing technology as a tool to bring meaningful
and sustainable change to underserved communities. Dr. Servon, who will be the
featured speaker, also wrote the book Bootstrap Capital: Microenterprises and
the American Poor and focuses on her research work in urban economic development
and issues of urban poverty. Information about her new book can be found at http://www.blackwellpublishers.co.uk/asp/book.asp?ref=0631232427
. More information about the meeting will soon be posted to the TFA website, http://www.techforall.org.
If you would like to be included on an email mailing list for the meeting please
send an email with "Regional Meeting Information Request" in the subject
line to Pam.Gardner@techforall.org.
Delphi Marketing Provides Pro-bono services
As a pro-bono contribution to Technology For All, Delphi Marketing (http://www.delphimarketing.net)
has been working with TFA to craft its story and diversify its donor base. The
Delphi Team has already donated several days of service to TFA in preparation
for meetings with potential donors and corporate sponsors.
Digital Steppingstones
The recently published final report of the Digital Steppingstones Project of the
Tomas Rivera Policy Institute cites Technology For All and Technology For All-Houston
for its best practices in the area of business collaboration. Copies of the document
titled "Promoting Access to Network Technologies in Underserved Communities:
Lessons Learned can be obtained by contacting the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute
at http://www.trpi.org.
Mission Milby
Technology For All and Technology For All-Houston are collaborating on the development
of a model community technology center project in Houston's East End. The project,
located in the facilities of the Milby United Methodist Church is utilizing technology
to bring opportunities to a community that has a poverty rate of 42% and many
community safety issues because of gang activity. Through a Telecommunications
Intrastructure Fund grant in collaboration with Houston Independent School District
(HISD), the Tejano Center and Texas Southern University, the facility will soon
be connected to a high speed fiber connection that will dramatically enhance the
opportunties for the community through the Misión Milby Community Technology
Center. TFA-Houston has already been working with HISD students from Milby High
School at the facility and looks forward to expanding its services there through
volunteers and corporate involvement. Shell, BP, the RGK Foundation, and Washington
Mutual have each made significant contributions to the project. A VISTA volunteer
will be assigned to the Misión Milby Community Technology Center in late
August.
Centra Gift
TFA recently received a generous donation from Centra (http://www.centra.com)
of use of its online training and collaboration tools. TFA will use the virtual
meeting capabilities of the CentraOneÔ Web collaboration platform to provide
administrators in 300 community-based organizations across the U.S. with the knowledge,
resources, and technology training they need to build strong, local workforce
development programs.Leveraging the integrated voice-over-IP capabilities, application
sharing, and dynamic interaction tools of the Centra eMeetingÔ application,
TFA will connect 15-20 onsite organization administrators in weekly online sessions
to interact, learn, and receive help in becoming skilled trainers and enablers
of opportunity in their communities.
Online Donation Opportunities
Through an online relationship with Guidestar and Network for Good, persons wishing
to make an online cash donation to TFA can do so and designate it for a particular
city or project. Just go to
http://www.techforall.org/donations.htm and click on "click here to donate
now". Donors will be taken to financial and other information about TFA on
the Network for Good website. Click on the button to complete a donation. Or you
can go directly to the Network for Good Web site at http://www.networkforgood.org/donate/index.html
and type in "Technology For All" in the Organization Search. Your online
donations to Technology For All are safe and secure through our relationship with
Network For Good and TFA receives 100% of all donations made online. TFA serves
an estimated 50,000 persons per week through its affiliate relationships and supportive
services. Your gift will continue to make that possible.
Latino Technology Network Project
Through collaboration with the Assocation for the Advancement of Mexican Americans
(http://aamainc.org ) Technology For All will
soon be delivering its online SmartForce and other courseware to over 3000 students
in 13 Latino organizations across the United States. Students taking these courses
will have the opportunity to create learning paths that will prepare them for
better paying jobs in their communities.The Latino Technology Network is a Technology
Opportunities Grant funded through the U. S. Department of Commerce.
Staff Update
Pam Gardner has recently been promoted to Program Manager for Technology For All
and Technology For All-Houston. In her role, Pam works directly with community-based
organizations to help create community technology centers, coordinates our volunteer
program and works on special projects such as the regional meeting of community
technology centers planned for November 8 and 9. Pam can be reached at 713.961.0012
or by email at Pam.Gardner@techforall.org. Jessica Wisnoski recently received
the SmartForce eLearning Foundation award for her extensive work and development
of the facilitated distance-learning model for utilizing TFA' s online course
offerings for the underserved. Jessica serves as TFA's Manager of Online Content
and can be reached at 713.961.0012 or by email at Jessica.Wisnoski@techforall.org.
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TECHNOLOGY FOR ALL/Technology For All-Houston
"We bring Technology to Underserved Communities" www.techforall.org
William S. Reed
President/CEO
109 North Post Oak Lane, Suite 425
Houston, Texas 77024
Direct 713.316.5761
FAX 713.316.5790 will.reed@techforall.org
TFA Operations Center
3405 Edloe, Suite 300
Houston, Texas 77027
713.961.0012 or 713.961.9945