Connecting people to technology

ConnectKentucky connects people to technology in world-altering ways: improving the lives of the formerly disconnected; renewing hope for previously withering rural communities; driving increases in the number of tech-intensive companies and jobs; and nurturing an environment for lifetime learning, improved healthcare, and superior quality of life. ConnectKentucky's bias towards solutions in technology-based development has become a model for the country, most recently recognized as the winner of the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Excellence in Innovation Award.

ConnectKentucky develops and implements effective strategies for technology deployment, use, and literacy in Kentucky, creating both the forum and the incentive for interaction among a variety of people and entities that would not otherwise unite behind common goals and a shared vision. This level of teamwork is making Kentucky a better place for business and a better place to live.

ConnectKentucky’s Computers 4 Kids Program Facilitates Computer Refurbishment, Donation in Greenup County

Computer recipient Mary Alfrey learns more about her new machine from Greenup County Schools Chief Information Officer Tony Carr. Greenup County High School students are refurbishing older computers from the school system, which will be donated to deserving families.

GREENUP, KY— Greenup County students are getting a unique chance to give back to their community while learning valuable IT job skills. ConnectKentucky’s Computers 4 Kids program announced that 150 refurbished computers will be donated to Greenup County families, as part of a computer refurbishing program underway at Greenup County High School.

Rep. Tanya Pullin (D-South Shore), Greenup County school officials, AT&T-Kentucky President Mary Pat Regan, and ConnectKentucky Executive Director René True gathered at Greysbranch Elementary to announce the donation and the innovative way in which the computers are made available. Funding for this new program is facilitated by ConnectKentucky through a grant from AT&T-Kentucky.

The Greenup County program is unique. The Greenup County Public School system will take older computers from throughout the school system and upgrade them through a computer refurbishment program for teens at Greenup County High School.

High school students will be trained on how to refurbish the computers, which otherwise would have been headed to a local landfill. The students, who are seeking A+ certification in information technology, will reformat the hard drives, install new memory, and make other upgrades to the machines.

The computers will then be distributed to disadvantaged families as identified through the Family Resource and Youth Service Centers in Greenup County. Along with the computers, recipients will receive a printer donated by Lexmark International.