MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.,
Feb. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- A coalition of philanthropy, business, and nonprofit
organizations today announced a significant milestone in the goal
to provide every California foster
youth with their own computer.
The coalition said today it is now 25% of the way to its goal of
providing a laptop to all 10,000 eligible foster youth in
California after receiving new
financial contributions from the Ticket to Dream Foundation and
donations of computers from a number of corporations. The new
funding and donations will result in 1,000 more laptops being
distributed to California foster
youth. The financial contributions and donations total 2,500
laptops committed following earlier significant commitments by
Foster Care Counts and the Walter S.
Johnson foundation.
Since announcing the initiative in May
2016, iFoster has provided over 600 computers to foster
youth. Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") has provided over 9,000
Windows and Office licenses to iFoster to date, and will be
donating software on every refurbished device distributed to foster
youth.
The announcement was made at the Hack Foster Care Summit in
Mountain View, where 250 people
from Silicon Valley tech companies, government agencies,
non-profits, community-based organizations, foster youth and alumin
are meeting to develop innovative tech-inspired solutions to help
foster youth.
"Because of the generosity of our partners, 1,000 more
California foster youth will have
their own computers, making a dramatic difference in their
lives," said Reid Cox, co-founder of
iFoster, which is leading the laptop initiative. "We are now 25% of
the way to our goal of providing 10,000 laptops – one for every
eligible foster youth in the Golden State. We invite every
organization and individual who wants to help improve the lives of
foster youth to join us in this ground-breaking campaign."
Fewer than 20% of foster youth in California have access to a computer where
they live, compared to 90% of teens overall in the U.S. When foster
youth are provided with a computer, not only do grades and class
attendance improve, but self-esteem and life satisfaction increase,
while depression drops, according to recent research.
Gina Davis, President / Executive
Director of the Ticket to Dream Foundation, said: "We are so
pleased to be joining this effort to provide foster youth with the
technology they need. This past year we surveyed 180 of our
non-profit foster care partners across the country to determine
their greatest deficits. The overwhelming response was the need for
computers to help youth succeed in school. Knowing iFoster, and the
fantastic programs it runs, our Board has enthusiastically approved
joining the coalition to provide laptops in California and other States to ensure foster
youth have the tools they need to thrive."
Jeanne Pritzker, founder and
chair of Foster Care Counts, said:
"The evidence bears out that if students have their own laptops,
their success both in school and in life as a whole is positively
impacted. We are thrilled to see so many joining together to ensure
that foster youth will have the same chance for success as so many
others."
Brian Van Weele, Ex-Director,
Walter S. Johnson Foundation, said: "It is very encouraging to see
the impressive progress and growing support for the computer
initiative. We invite more philanthropy and corporate sponsors to
join us in achieving this important and achievable goal."
Yali Lincroft, Program Director,
Walter S. Johnson, said: "Our goal is much greater than providing
every youth in California with a
computer, it is to prove to the federal government that
technological parity should be a priority for existing funds in
child welfare. We have engaged USC to
evaluate this expanded effort to make a case for child welfare to
adopt the program to ensure all children in every state receive the
right technology at the right time."
Thea Smith Nilsson, Bay Area
Citizenship and Philanthropy Manager at Microsoft commented,
"Microsoft is honored to host the Hack Foster Care Youth Summit.
Innovative solutions are key to improving the lives of youth in
foster care, and access to technology can help these young adults
prepare for success in the classroom and in the workplace. By
working together, we can develop collaborative tools that empower
an entire community."
For more information about the program please visit iFoster.com,
or call 1.855.936.7837.
Media Contact:
Reid
Cox,
iFoster
530.550.8001, reid@iFoster.org
About iFoster
Children in foster and kinship care deserve the same resources
and opportunities for success as young people being raised by
biological parents. Tragically, foster youth receive on average
less than 50% of what the USDA reports the average American family
spends on raising their children.
iFoster is a national non-profit that bridges the gap between
youth in the child welfare system and the external corporations,
foundations and government agencies who have the resources to help
them succeed. iFoster has built the largest and most inclusive
online community of young people and organizations in foster care
with currently over 40,000 members in all 50 states. On behalf of
the community, iFoster negotiates and collaborates with hundreds of
partners who can provide the resources, supports and opportunities
that foster youth need to become successful adults.
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SOURCE iFoster