When Milwaukee high school student Jaiden Alvarado-Jones walked into the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee’s Ready Center, he thought he was just there to give a speech on digital literacy and meet Green Bay Packers legend Donald Driver. Nearly 200 students gathered at the Ready Center thought the same.
Little did they know the big surprise waiting for them – free laptops and backpacks filled with school supplies, thanks to AT&T, the Donald Driver Foundation and Human-I-T.
“The kids’ reaction made me feel like the work is working,” said Andre Douglas, Assistant Vice President of Teen Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. “We do mission-driven work here at the Boys & Girls Club, and it was so heartwarming to watch the kids’ smiles on their faces as they met Donald Driver and received their laptops. To have their very own laptop, it’s life changing.”
For these Milwaukee students, this laptop will be a game-changer. Many of their families cannot afford having a device or internet at home.
“Growing up in the inner cities where most of these kids grow up, they don’t have the access to a computer,” said Donald Driver. “We just gave them a step up.”
The surprise didn’t end there. AT&T also announced a $40,000 contribution to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee to support their digital literacy programs. It’s all part of our $5 billion commitment to help close the digital divide by addressing the main barriers to connectivity. Working to close the digital divide is the linchpin of AT&T’s mission to leave no one behind when it comes to online opportunity.
“At AT&T, we know that when we give students a laptop, when we give students access to the internet, we connect them to greater possibilities,” said Robyn Gruner, Director of External Affairs, AT&T Wisconsin.
