Marie Gibbons/Clarendon Citizen
CSD2 Parenting Center receives grant
The Clarendon School District 2 Parenting and Family Literacy Center was the recipient of a $25,000 grant to help enhance technology in their endeavors.
Congressman Jim Clyburn was on hand April 1 to award the check from the Broadband for America program.
“These funds will be used to pay for broadband access as well as purchase technology equipment for the parenting center,” explained John Tindal, CSD2 superintendent. “We know that parents are their children’s first teacher, though many of them have not developed computer skills themselves. The Parenting Center will be able to provide both Internet access and training, thanks to these funds.”
“The Clarendon District 2 Center is an exceptional example of the value of broadband because it allows people who might not otherwise have access to the Internet to benefit from it,” Congressman Clyburn noted at the check presentation ceremony. “Today, in South Carolina, there are citizens living in rural areas who do not have the same access to broadband Internet as those living in the large cities. We must close the gap between the connected and unconnected and this is certainly a step in the right direction.”
Broadband for America is a growing coalition of 200-plus companies and organizations ranging from consumer advocacy groups to service providers, including local providers Time Warner Cable, Farmers Telephone Cooperative and Verizon.
Their mission is to make broadband access to the Internet available to every household in the nation; to provide data transfer speeds to make that broadband experience valuable to users; and to provide the bandwidth necessary for content providers to continue to make the Internet a cultural, societal and economic engine for growth.
“We recognize that access to technology opens doors for our communities not
only in education, but in employment, healthcare and civic engagement,” said CSD2 Parenting Center Coordinator Jennifer Nelson. “Our program will now be able to act as a conduit for connecting our citizens with the information they need to be better parents and raise their children and prepare them to lead the next generation. We will be able to leverage the power of broadband and bring the world here to Manning.”
“This grant shows the value that private companies place on bringing broadband within the reach of every South Carolinian,” said Manning Mayor Kevin Johnson, also present for the presentation. “With these resources, more people will be able to find medical and dietary help on-line, as well as look for a job or continue their education.”
For information about the CSD2 Parenting Center and its programs, contact Coordinator Jennifer Nelson at 433-4959.
