Lousiana
Louisiana Rural Internet Connection
Type of Grant: TOP
Amount of Grant: $649,998
Non-Federal Support: $651,106
Date of Grant: October 2001-September 2002
Project Partners: Grambling State University will work with black churches in six rural parishes: Claiborne, Jackson, Morehouse, Union, West Carroll and Winn.
Contact: Margaret Lowery
Phone: (318) 274-2436
Email: lowerym@alpha0.gram.edu
In a unique partnership between Grambling State University (GSU) and five predominantly black counties, faith based organizations will soon be conduits for Internet connectivity in rural Louisiana. The state of Louisiana ranks 47th in the nation for adults with Internet access.
With funding support from TOP, matched with in-kind contributions from five local churches, GSU has built computer labs and installed high-speed satellite networks in each county. Ten families from each county will be given a computer with free Internet access. GSU's CareerNet Center will train volunteers to teach the community basic computer skills and how to use the Internet as a resource for education, health, and workforce development. Students and professors at GSU have already made a number of inquiries to use the data (collected from home computers) to correlate Internet usage with the home environment as well as to explore the potential for e-commerce in the area.
There are no local ISPs in any of the five counties that were selected. "No company is going to bother building services because maintaining it just doesn't make sense as there isn't enough of a user base," says Margaret Lowery, Project Manager at GSU's CareerNet Center.
Louisiana
INCITE (Involved Community through Integrated Technology Education)
Type of Grant: CTC
Amount of Grant: $300,000
Non-Federal Support: $430,430
Date of Grant: 2001-2002
Project Partners: Calcasieu Parish School System, Calcasieu Parish Career Center, Imperial Calcasieu School to Work, and Simon Properties and Youth Foundation
Contact: Sheryl Abshire
Phone: (337) 437-6150
Email: Sheryl.abshire@cpsb.org
With initial funding from a CTC grant, Calcasieu Parish School System partnered with the local public library and career center to establish two CTCs aptly named INCITE (Involved Community through Integrated Technology Education)-the North INCITE center is designed for senior citizens and the South INCITE center is for youth and family counseling.
Students who have left high school because of truancy, drugs, or crime attend the "Credit Recovery" program at South INCITE where they use educational software to make up lost credits. The center also provides Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) certifications and trains job seekers on how to conduct online job searches and type and format business letters. After taking the class, job seekers realize that "it is not enough to just stand in line at the unemployment office," says Sheryl Abshire, the Administrative Coordinator for Technology. In summer 2002, the center moves to its new location in the neighborhood mall where it will offer a series of web design and software classes for small businesses.
The INCITE North Center helps senior citizens like 70 year-old Frank Meadows and his wife, both of whom started out with a fear of computers. Mr. Meadows used to volunteer at Meals on Wheels and the local YMCA, but is now physically unable to do so. He says, "The computer gives me something to do apart from lying on the couch," adding that he would have done this a decade ago if he had access to a CTC. Ms. Abshire's goal is to empower senior citizens through technology so that they will be more involved in the community, be more adept at accessing the public health system, and serve as role models for their family and friends.
