Students receive free computers

Sixth-grader Jason Satterfield’s favorite class is P.E., but he now has a reason to get more excited about book reports and homework.

Satterfield went with his mother, father and brother to accept a free computer Monday through a local nonprofit.

“This is a great extra resource for a family with three kids,” his mother, Rebecca Satterfield, said.

To help lower-income students connect digitally, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Community Connection Program gave 60 local students free desktop computers Monday night with the help of the Kramden Institute Inc.

The organization has also held computer award nights at Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill high schools. Any student, however, can be nominated and complete an application process.

After a little more than a year in operation, the Community Connection program has equipped 275 district students with computers, and two computer labs have been established, program manager Renny Johnson said.

“With around 1,100 students that do not have out-of-school Internet access, we still have some work to do,” Johnson said.

Johnson said each computer costs about $65, so when transportation and refreshment costs are added in, the event cost more than $4,500.

With 60 computers to hand out, the meeting ran on a tight schedule. Six families came in every 15 minutes. Upon arrival, they checked in and filled out paperwork before beginning tutorial sessions.

Satterfield, who attends Phillips Middle School, said he was excited to use it for his school work and book projects.

Patricia Reitz was in charge of checking the students and their families in and out and making sure that they also received flash drives before they left. She is a repeat volunteer with the Community Connection program.

“Kids need computers at home to be successful these days,” she said.

While some students lack funds to connect, the district has taken steps to be more technologically savvy. The school system has a program, called Connect 2 School, that allows students to connect to their school desktop portal from home.

The Kramden Institute, established in 2003, has grown from a father-son basement operation to a program with more than 2,500 volunteers and donors.

Alexandra Cordero, the director of events for the Kramden Institute, said the group has supplied almost 5,000 students with computers to date.

The computers are collected from donors and then refurbished by volunteers at “Geek-A-Thons” for student use.

The organization accepts nominations of eligible students from teachers and counselors on a rolling basis. Cordero said the program’s award dates are booked until next year.

“We are working to effectively close the digital divide that exists,” Cordero said.



Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.