For Immediate Release
Iota Chapter Ques Help Award 300 Computers to
Chicago Public School Students in Tutoring Program
Omega’s Join SBC, EDS and Other Volunteers in Support of Unique Good Will Program
More than twenty members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s Iota Chapter joined officials from the Chicago Public Schools, SBC Corporation and EDS in presenting more than 300 students with computers as a reward for their participation in a yearlong tutoring program. The Time Dollar Tutoring program rewards elementary school children for tutoring their peers and being tutored by awarding participants with refurbished computers they can take home. The program, part of Chicago Mayor Daley’s campaign to recruit 10,000 tutors to improve the academic performance of Chicago Public School children, takes place in schools where 90 percent or more of the students live in poverty.
“It’s important for Omega men to be visible on issues critical to the communities where we live and work,” said Andre Garner, Iota Chapter member and Chairman of Omega Psi Phi’s Chicago area non-profit affiliate the Friendship Foundation for Education and Community Development. “Programs like Time Dollar Tutoring are making a tremendous difference in the lives of the students who participate and, ultimately, their entire families. If we lead by example in supporting this program in a large and visible way, we can influence others to do the same.”
Time Dollar Tutoring receives donations of used computers from businesses, schools, government agencies, churches, institutions and individuals who are typically upgrading their equipment. The program uses volunteers to refurbish the computers and load the units with a software package. In seven years of operation, Time Dollar Tutoring has placed more than 4,000 computers in the homes of children on Chicago’s South and West Sides.
According to Calvin Pearce, Executive Director of Time Dollar Tutoring, “Clearly, the digital divide is real and apparent when you look at the disparity between the computer resources available at school to poor students in the city and their wealthier suburban counterparts. But that same digital divide can appear to be almost insurmountable when you consider the difference between wealthy students who have computers, PDA’s, digital electronic devices and toys at home. Those kids are getting four, five and sometimes six hours of additional exposure to computers at home when many of the Time Dollar Students may never be able to afford a computer. Assistance from organizations like the Omega’s and the Friendship Foundation are critical to the success of this program.”
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