A group in Atlanta that helps low-income communities harness the power of digital learning put brand new laptops into the hands of to 775 sixth grade students and their families thanks to philanthropic donations from three of CompTIA’s Communities and Councils.
“This generous support helped us fulfill a vital part of our work in providing much-needed resources into the homes of these students to foster their academic success,” said David Stokes, senior manager of development for CFY-Atlanta, a leading branch of Computers For Youth.
CFY is a national nonprofit that uses digital learning to improve educational outcomes for students in low-income communities. The group delivers high-impact interventions that leverage digital learning to increase student engagement and ownership in their own learning. They also help teachers personalize instruction and teach to the new Common Core State Standards.
Working to strengthen the home-learning environment and increase parental involvement around learning, CFY-Atlanta’s goal is to help close the academic achievement gap that persists in low-income communities throughout the greater-Atlanta area.
CompTIA Donations
Each year, CompTIA member communities make donations to IT-related charities. Money for the donations comes from the Creating IT Futures Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CompTIA. All told, CFY received $12,500 from CompTIA Communities, Councils and the CITFF in 2014: $5,000 from the Tech Convergence Community; $5,000 from the Managed Services Community; and $2,500 from the Telecom Advisory Council.
“Here in the CompTIA Managed Services Community, we’re all IT guys at heart,” said John Tippett, chair of CompTIA’s Managed Services Community and vice president of new markets at SnapAV. “It’s endlessly gratifying for us to know that CFY-Atlanta’s Digital Learning Program will, through improved technology, greatly impact the learning potential of these young middle school students who are hungry for knowledge and so full of promise.”
Tippett, a Georgia native, found the charity donation especially meaningful and called it an honor to be part of it. He said CYF stands for the same core principles the Managed Services Community has come to rely upon: collaboration and shared responsibility.
“We feel it’s our responsibility to reach out with a helping hand to the community and help promote educational equity, especially for children from lower-income families,” Tippett said.
CFY-Atlanta emerged in May 2007 and has since served more than 7,000 low-income families in partnership with 14 public middle schools within the greater-Atlanta area. That translates to approximately 1,000 sixth grade students, their families and their teachers on an annual basis.
Michelle Peterson is a communications specialist for CompTIA.
