Through a Take on Race Initiative led by Procter & Gamble to support closing the digital divide of students and families in Central Texas, E3 Alliance was selected by Dell Technologies to receive Chromebooks to distribute to area nonprofits.

E3 Alliance is a nationally recognized, data-driven collaboration of 15 school districts, eight Central Texas higher education institutions, and over 200 community and industry partners advancing the goals and strategies of The Blueprint for Education Change, our region’s strategic education plan. With this incredible opportunity, E3 reached out to over 50 of our long-standing nonprofit partners to determine their need to bridge the digital divide with their students and families. 18 partners responded, and 15 nonprofits were awarded the equipment donation to serve our community’s vital digital and connectivity needs.

“This donation aligns with E3 Alliance’s goal to support every student in Central Texas on their path from cradle to career, from pre-K to higher education, and ready to enter the workforce. Ensuring Central Texas students have the tools they need to learn is critical to supporting student success,” said Susan Dawson, Executive Director of E3 Alliance. “Access to reliable technology, especially in the new COVID landscape, is a strong predictor of economic opportunity.”

“This donation focused on underrepresented communities who might not have access to these devices,” said Karl Nichols, Vice President of Investor Development. “The digital divide highlights racial inequities. Access to the internet and digital notebooks are now fundamental for students to learn the skills to get the jobs of today and tomorrow. Digital divisions are likely to keep these historic disadvantages in place in the future; we are thrilled to be part of the solution.”

In partnership with Austin Community College (ACC), E3 Alliance scheduled a “Distribution Day” on Wednesday, March 23. Award recipients mobilized to pick up their equipment donation and shared how they intend to use the donation.

“The pandemic has emphasized the digital divide, and our clients continue to experience challenges staying connected in a virtual world,” said Susan McDowell, LifeWorks Chief Executive Officer. “These laptops will allow clients to get and stay connected to the services and programs they need to reach their educational and employment goals while also providing a way to meet virtually with their LifeWorks case manager, counselor, or employment specialist. We are grateful to E3 Alliance and Dell Technologies for this opportunity to continue providing the resources our clients need the most.”

The nonprofit partner recipients have approximately one month after receiving their equipment from E3 Alliance to plan their Chromebook distribution day to get the computers in the hands of students and families. Dell Technologies and the E3 Alliance will track the impact of the generous donation.