Wells Fargo teams up with WinstonNet and Kramden Institute for 2nd annual project
Team member volunteers from Wells Fargo will award over 100 computers to deserving students from Forsyth County schools without access to a working home computer on Saturday, October 1, 2016.
Approximately 200 team members from Wells Fargo will volunteer their time on Thursday and Friday at the Milton Rhodes Art Center to refurbish desktop computers during a three-day “Geek-A-Thon” sponsored by Wells Fargo and organized by the Kramden Institute and WinstonNet. The goal is to refurbish and award 100 of these computers to local school children without a home computer of their own. The rest of the refurbished computers will be awarded to students and organizations across North Carolina.
Kramden Institute, a Durham-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide technology tools and training to bridge the digital divide, brought hundreds of computers along with their staff to lead and guide the Wells Fargo volunteers through the Institute’s intense three-day “Geek-A-Thon” computer refurbishing process.
“We take pride in supporting and collaborating with WinstonNet, Kramden Institute and our Winston-Salem and Forsyth County Schools on this important initiative,” said Peggy Reingold, Wells Fargo’s community affairs officer. “The prosperity of young people is a critical element in a strong and thriving community, and Wells Fargo is committed to providing the students of Forsyth County with every possible resource to achieve long-term success. Our goal is to help build strong and vibrant communities, improve the quality of life and make a positive difference.”
The “Geek-A-Thon” will conclude on Saturday when over one hundred local students and their families arrive at the Rhodes Center to receive their computers. Wells Fargo volunteers will train the students on their new computers and show them some of the many educational programs pre-loaded on the machines.
“Kramden is thrilled to once again partner with Wells Fargo and WinstonNet on behalf of students across Forsyth County. The success of last year’s Geek-A-Thon surpassed everybody’s expectations and we’re excited to again bring hundreds of volunteers together to refurbish computers for student’s personal, home use,” said Michael Abensour, Executive Director of the Kramden Institute. “There is simply nothing better than awarding these computers to over a hundred deserving students on Saturday and helping to close the digital divide one family at a time.”
Jim DeCristo, Chair of the WinstonNet Board, said “Last year was a great success. We are thrilled to build on that success with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo deserves special recognition for investing so much of their employee’s time towards such a worthy cause. We know that putting a computer into a home changes lives and, as with last year’s event, the benefits will affect at least 100 families in our community.”
The students were nominated as a result of a partnership between WinstonNet, a local non-profit dedicated to bridging the digital divide in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
