MyNC.com press release for Award Day held July 19, 2008

Another 100 Durham County students will soon have a computer to call their own. Kramden Institute, Inc. is working to make sure every child has their own computer.

Kramden Institute, Inc., will hold an award day on July 19 and give away computers to more than 100 less-advantaged students who currently lack in-home computer systems. The students have been nominated by their teachers and schools to receive the computers. Students from two dozen schools in the Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh areas will participate including: Chapel Hill High, Ephesus Elementary, Carrboro Elementary, Northern Chatham Elementary, Glenwood Elementary, Estes Hill Elementary, Cameron Park Elementary, School of the Arts, Northern High, Hillsborough Elementary, Martin Middle, Eno River Middle, Orange High, CC Spaulding Elementary, Shepard Magnet Middle, Efland Cheeks Elementary, Gravelly Hill Middle, Grady Brown Elementary, Glenn Elementary, Graham Middle, Wilburn Elementary, North Carolina Virtual Public, and Broughton Middle Schools. Several students participating in the event will be affiliated with the Raleigh Boys and Girls Club and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Triangle.

As Kramden forges ahead with its mission to bridge the digital divide for hard working students in need, its partnership with North Carolina schools and other local organizations is a key aspect of its program. Teachers are an integral part of the program, as they nominate hard-working students who are committed to academic excellence and stand to benefit greatly by having a computer in their home. "These students are truly committed to academic excellence yet challenged due to the absence of a PC at home to use for completing homework assignments. They do their homework at the library or school-based computer labs and there are times where computers are just not accessible to them" noted Mike Shumake, Kramden's volunteer Director of Education and an English teacher at Phillips High School in Raleigh. Shumake added, "We've seen the difference a computer at home makes in the lives of these kids and their families - the positive impact on their academic achievement and other social skills is awesome."

The Award Day event will be supported by more than 35 volunteers. Volunteers will work two shifts to manage logistics and demonstrate to students how to set up and use their computers.

Since the inception of its programs in 2003, nearly 2,500 computers have been restored and donated to children in North Carolina schools and more than 10,000 awardees and their family members have benefited from Kramden's programs.

http://durham.mync.com/site/durham/news/story/5472/more_students_receive_their_own_computers