ELIMINATING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN THE CAROLINAS

Eliminate the Digital Divide | Carolina Impact

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WHAT IS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE?

The digital divide is the opportunity gap between those who have ready-access to computers and the internet, and those who do not. In this day and age, one cannot prosper without full access to online resources.

WHAT DOES E2D DO?

E2D collects used laptops from generous corporations, refurbishes them in student-led technology labs, and distributes them to student families who don't have a computer at home.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

As with most non-profit enterprises, financial support is a critical element of our operations. However, first and foremost, we need laptops! If your company retires its used laptops, please ask your IT department to donate them to E2D. We will pick them up, take them to our lab, refurbish them and redistribute them to families in our community with distinct needs.

By donating used corporate laptops to E2D, you will be in good company with 78 other corporate donors that have made eliminating the digital divide a priority.

FEATURED RELATIONSHIP: Honeywell

Charlotte’s Corporate leadership has truly transformed our community through its generosity and commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion, particularly through its profound and intentional work on digital inclusion. Honeywell, only 4 years since its headquarters moved to Charlotte in late 2018, has quickly stepped forward to the front lines of this work through its recent commitment to donate 13,000 laptops to E2D over the next several years. The value of these computers is over $5,000,000.

E2D, in conjunction with tremendous regional corporate support and with the leadership of the Center for Digital Equity, has placed over 30,000 laptops into homes since 2013. With Honeywell’s transformational leadership gift, E2D will be bridging the digital divide for at least another 40,000 citizens, as E2D computers are used by an average of 3.2 family members/home.

“We are so honored and grateful to our ‘Honeywell Heroes,’” says Pat Millen, E2D’s President and Co-Founder. “Everyone at Honeywell with whom we’ve worked on this gift has quickly recognized that a fully digitally included Charlotte Region is all about equity and greater opportunity. We are thrilled for this partnership and had such an amazing time celebrating this gift with the fans of Charlotte FC on Saturday.”

See the full story HERE.

OUR MISSION

The mission of E2D is to ensure that all North Carolina families have affordable access to essential at-home technology and the digital skills required to support academic success to prepare students for college, careers and beyond as well as job creation and retention for adult members of the household.

OUR CHALLENGE

There are still an estimated 26,000 households in Mecklenburg County that lack home-based, connected computers. This number is well over 150,000 for the entire State of North Carolina.

Our Vision:

Every home must have a computer in it.
Every home must have access to fast, reliable, and affordable digital broadband.
Every person in the home needs to know how to use these devices effectively to be successful in school and in jobs, raising their family’s productivity and prosperity.

OUR SOLUTIONS

Our ability to maximize impact in the community is only as strong as our collaborations with many partners:

Corporations that provide the supply of laptops
CMS: most of our distributions happen through the school system, which identifies the families in need.
Community organizations that provide digital literacy training, affordable broadband access, and tech support.

FUTURE PLANS

NORTH CAROLINA AND BEYOND

E2D initially focused on the digital divide in Davidson NC and resolved that gap completely. Since then we quickly expanded to the greater Charlotte Region and have helped our community shrink its digital gap from 30%+ to less than 8%. There is still much work to be done in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, but we are also now committed to tackling the digital divide throughout the Carolinas. Our model has succeeded effectively and we are thrilled to continue to expand the footprint of our work.