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Office of External Communications |
Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Eric Gerber |
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SBC’s $100,000 Grant, Other Contributions Augment Third Ward Learning Center HOUSTON, July 15, 2004 – Since 1998, the East Side Village Community Learning Center has been educating and empowering residents of the Third Ward, and the University of Houston has been pleased to support its neighbor in this important program. UH will celebrate the center’s accomplishments and salute fellow contributors SBC Foundation, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Blue Lance and Triumph Cabling at a reception from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., July 19, 2004. SBC recently awarded East Side Village Community Learning Center (ESVCLC) $100,000 as part of a larger grant to UH’s Houston Area Technology Advancement Center (HATAC). These contributions have been used primarily to assist ESVCLC in providing its participants a variety of free computer literacy and educational enhancement courses. “This has been a gratifying opportunity for UH to team up with these partners and lend a helping hand to this technologically underserved community,” said Jerald W. Strickland, interim provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at UH, who will attend the celebratory event. Formed as an extension of the South East Houston Community Development Corporation by Pastor Manson B. Johnson II, of Holman Street Baptist Church, ESVCLC assists very low to moderate income inner-city residents of all ages and backgrounds in upgrading their academic and life skills. To date, ESVCLC has issued more than 200 certificates of achievement to Adult Basic Education/GED students as well as 200 certificates of completion to computer technology students. ESVCLC is quartered in four renovated and connected row houses at 3614 Holman, with 3,600 square feet of classroom and office space. Courses offered include GED Preparation, English as a Second Language, Basic Computer Skills, MS Word, MS Excel and Exploring the Internet. The Third Ward -- the area that ESVCLC primarily serves -- is roughly two-thirds African American and 12 percent Hispanic. One third of the adult residents have not graduated from high school and 36 percent are classified as economically disadvantaged, according to ESVCLC statistics. The SBC Foundation grant of $100,000 through UH’s HATAC and material contributions from the other donors, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Blue Lance and Triumph Cabling, are being used to maintain and augment the center’s 40 computer workstations and advanced wireless networking equipment. “UH is delighted to be partnering with these premier organizations in implementing technologies designed to enhance economic preparedness and help improve the quality of life for our surrounding neighborhoods,” said Betty J. Roberts, associate vice chancellor and vice president for Technology Support. Additionally, UH has provided volunteer support for a number of years. In December 2002, UH’s College of Technology and the Division of Information Technology participated in “Net Day,” joining other volunteers to help wire the ESVCLC, configure the computers and install data switches. And as part of the College of Technology’s “Technology in the Community” courses, students have served as instructors at the center and developed a volunteer database for the staff to use. “ESVCLC and its partnership with UH is a prime example of the meaningful role and leadership that state institutions can play in enabling underserved communities to be empowered to achieve self-sufficiency through this kind of hands-on, long-term relationship,” said the Rev. Johnson. For more information about the center, visit http://www.esvclc.com/. For more information about the SBC Foundation, visit http://www.sbc.com/gen/corporate-citizenship?pid=2560 About the University of Houston For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom. |
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