iFOSTER ANNOUNCES NEW PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
FOR FOSTER CARE COMMUNITY DURING FOSTER CARE MONTH
Truckee, CA – May 29, 2012 – In honor of Foster Care Month, iFoster announced new programs and services to aid in their mission of bridging the digital divide amongst vulnerable children and youth in the foster care system.
Through it’s Get Connected! Program, iFoster will enhance its delivery of 75,000 low-cost computers and laptops and 4,500 affordable broadband connections nationally to the foster care community. . Studies show that more than 50 percent of children and youth in our country’s foster care system do not have regular access to computers or the Internet, making keeping up at school that much harder. Get Connected! provides low-cost computers, discounted cellular plans and computer training courses – computing tablets and discounted broadband Internet access will soon be available.
In addition to the Get Connected! Program, iFoster and the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) announced a 3-year, $300,000 grant from the CETF to increase access to low-cost computers and high-speed Internet among youth and families in the California foster care community. In California, the foster care community serves more than 40,000 youth between the ages of 6 and 18. As a starting point, iFoster will focus on Los Angeles, Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties.
In addition to providing technology resources, iFoster teamed up with Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) and Carter’s Children’s Wear to donate hundreds of pieces of new baby and little girl’s clothing to families in need in Placer County, California.
iFoster is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to providing life-changing resources that aid vulnerable children and youth in bridging the digital divide. Former high-tech executives and husband and wife duo, Reid and Serita Cox, founded the organization in 2010. They have been using the engagement power of technology to help caregivers fill services gaps, while assisting vulnerable youth in succeeding in school and securing job opportunities.
iFoster programs are free and can be found at www.ifoster.org to members of the foster, adoptive and kinship communities; youth who have emancipated out of the system; the organizations that support them; and students eligible for free and reduced lunch. In addition to its technology programs, iFoster also offers over 100,000 independent discount opportunities at retailers nationwide, saving the average family nearly $4,500 a year. The iFoster community directly supports more than 1 million vulnerable children nationwide and is growing by over 100,000 supported children each month.
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