Decreasing the Digital Divide in Erie County

“Tech Camps For Kids” Awarded $15,000 Grant From Erie Community Foundation

ERIE, PA – December 21, 2007. Just six months ago, The Learning Lab President Misty O’Connor announced an Open House to launch the company’s new high-tech endeavor, “Tech Camps For Kids.” Today, O’Connor is even prouder to announce through the generous donation of the Erie Community Foundation and a partnership with the JFK Center, their plans to provide “Tech Camps For Kids Scholarships” to youth in Erie that may not be able to afford the camps. “Our goal is to do what we can in our own community to decrease the digital divide between those that readily have technology and those that don’t,” states O’Connor.

After a very exciting and successful opening season of “Tech Camps For Kids” held at The Learning Lab, located at 12th and Powell in Erie, O’Connor approached Karen Grettler of the JFK Center about partnering. O’Connor and her staff knew that not all children from Erie would be able to afford to pay for the camps, so what could they do to decrease the digital divide in their own community. “We have the facility; you have the kids. How can we give your kids access to our camps?” asked O’Connor of Grettler. The answer: write a grant to the Erie Community Foundation.

Finnegan and Associates grant writers George and Susan Evans were hired to write the grant. Once the goals of the grant were established and the grant was formulated, O’Connor and Grettler submitted the grant to the Erie Community Foundation only a couple months ago. Just days before Christmas, both O’Connor and Grettler got an early Christmas gift. “What an awesome Christmas present. With this grant funding, we can make a difference,” states O’Connor and Grettler jointly.

The aspirations for the Tech Camps have always been to provide summer camp alternatives for students to increase their knowledge of high-tech career possibilities: robotics, video game design, stop-motion animation, web design, and graphic design. Based on the information gathered from career assessments and the campers’ interests, an individualized camp experience is designed for each camper ages 7 – 14. For example, a child interested in becoming a computer programmer would work in the camp on learning programming skills and then apprentice for a day with a professional programmer from a local Erie company to get a first hand look at what the career is really like.

It is the goal of “Tech Camp For Kids,” to get local businesses involved as mentors to children in Erie. “We can all do our part to stop the brain-drain of our youth by showing them what valuable, high-tech positions Erie has to offer,” says O’Connor. The hope is to connect youth with professionals in positions such as engineering, robotics, computer sciences, graphic design, bio-metrics, web design that more youth and their parents will realize there are plenty of career opportunities in Erie worth staying for.

But O’Connor always knew that money would be an issue for many families. “This grant money will be used to provide scholarships, transportation, and lunches to Erie youth not able to afford the camp. Thanks, Erie Community Foundation, for this wonderful Christmas present; and thanks, Stephen Finnegan and Associates, for doing the hard work of writing the grant. You’ve helped make our dreams come true," says O’Connor and Grettler proudly.

For more information about the award, contact Misty O’Connor at 814-734-6217 or email at misty@pclearn.org. For an application for “Tech Camps For Kids” please call Michele Diehl at 814-836-5777 or email at michele@pclearn.org or visit www.techcampsforkids.com