In an attempt to help students who are forced to work at home, the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion (LBCEI) has donated 100 Chromebook Laptops to Long Beach City College (LBCC).
The laptops were donated at an event held on Monday, June 22, at the Michelle Obama Library.
According to the LBCEI, the goal of the donation is to help provide access to student who may not have computers at home, but may need one as the COVID-19 health crisis forces schools to take classes online.
“When the coronavirus pandemic hit, it closed access to resources that our LBCC students depended on to complete their class assignments, including our valuable computer labs,” said Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees Vice President Uduak-Joe Ntuk. “I’m grateful for this generous donation and our community partners who stood up to meet this moment and stand with us to address the digital divide that unfortunately impedes too many of our students from North Long Beach.”
The donation was part of the #InThisTogether campaign which is meant to help underserved and underrepresented families in North, Central and West Long Beach.
The program is funded by $250,000 of funding by BRIDGE Development Partners, as well as funding from Wells Fargo and the office of Councilmember Rex Richardson.
“Our current health and economic emergency has had a profound impact on how we access work, health, and education, forcing students and families without access to internet and technology off a digital cliff,” said Councilmember Rex Richardson. “I’m proud to support our incoming students from Uptown by providing these Chromebooks as a critical resource for their success.”