Big Island nonprofit one of six recipients of grants to address digital equity

A Big Island nonprofit is one of six Hawai‘i recipients of Hawaiian Telcom digital equity grants that will help with programs focused on digital equity.

Hawai‘i Care Choices in Hilo was awarded $30,000 for its Digital Health Equity program, which implements eHealth and telehealth programs that enhance the quality and serviceability of palliative and hospice care to patients in East Hawai‘i. The funds were part of a total $140,000 in grants awarded Wednesday by Hawaiian Telcom.

The programs receiving grants also include helping the state’s youth excel with new technology, tutoring keiki and kūpuna for digital literacy and improving technical skills for women transitioning back into the workforce.

“These grantees are connecting people with vital technology and data and empowering Hawaiʻi residents with knowledge and access that will transform their lives,” said Hawaiian Telcom President and Bell Charitable Foundation board member Su Shin.

The other grant recipients are:

• O‘ahu-based Acton Digital Academy was awarded $10,000 for its iKūpuna: Elevating Youth, Enriching Kūpuna program. The funding for the Tech Savvy Teen after­-school program will be used to establish a well-equipped tech lab and provide stipends for participating high school teens so they can develop job readiness skills as they assist seniors who need help in improving their tech and digital proficiency skills.
• The Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders was awarded $25,000 for its Empowering Tomorrow’s Generation of Tech-Savvy Minds program. This program will partner with seven public high schools on the Big Island, Kaua‘i, Lāna‘i and Maui to offer a three-year technology-rich, leadership development program that helps students prepare for college and the workforce.
• Hawai‘iKidsCAN was awarded $25,000 for its Hawai‘i Tutoring+ program, which helps bridge the digital divide by providing high-quality tutoring to rural communities throughout the state in hopes of improving parents’ and kids’ digital literacy and providing them with the educational resources they need to achieve success.
• Palama Settlement on O‘ahu was awarded $25,000 for its Digital Learning Bridge for Kalihi-Palama Low-Income Youth program. This program focuses on training 240 at-risk youth ages 8 to 17 years old for skills such as digital graphics, screen printing, videography, animation, game development, robotics, Excel, coding and three-dimensional modeling.
• The Purple Mai‘a Foundation was awarded $25,000 for its Digital Transitions program to provide incarcerated women at the Women’s Community Correctional Center on O‘ahu with basic computer and software knowledge to aid in their transition from prison back to their communities.

The digital equity grants are funded by the Bell Charitable Foundation, a philanthropic organization created by Hawaiian Telcom’s parent company altafiber that supports nonprofit organizations where its companies provide service.

In partnership with Hawaiian Telcom and altafiber, Bell Charitable Foundation has committed to giving $1 million during the next five years to create more digital equity in the communities its companies serve.

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