AT&T Foundation Grants Manitowoc Club $10,000 to Bridge the Digital Divide

Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County Receives $10,000 AT&T Foundation Grant to Support Local Youth Affected by the Digital Divide 

Grant will support the Club’s new program – Project Learn – that provides computer and digital literacy resources for students

MANITOWOC, Wis., August 17, 2022 – As part of AT&T’s nationwide commitment to help bridge the digital divide and the homework gap, the AT&T Foundation is granting $10,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County to help local youth with limited internet access. 

The AT&T Foundation grant will support the Club’s new Project Learn program that focuses on addressing the digital divide and homework gap by offering computer and digital literacy resources and academic programs for youth. The program will provide students in need access to devices, high-speed internet and computer software programs to help them build new academic skills and complete homework during this next school year.

“Our mission at the Club is to do whatever we can to inspire and enable all the young people we serve – especially those who need us the most – to reach their full potential,” said Bill Bertsche, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County. “Over the last two years, our youth have faced many challenges. With this grant from the AT&T Foundation, we are excited to provide support to our youth who face technology and internet access challenges that serve as barriers to academic success.”

Millions of students across the U.S. are affected by the digital divide and do not have reliable internet or a computer at home to complete their homework. Youth served by the Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County are no exception. Club programs support bridging the digital divide by creating an even digital education playing field for member youth. The Club provides devices and internet access at no charge to members, eliminating the obstacle of not having a way to complete homework online. Additionally, the Club offers computer software programs that focus on personalized learning, with comprehensive and individualized Math, Reading, Science, and Language Arts curriculum, meeting the needs of each learner.

“The pandemic has only heightened the digital divide challenges faced by students in Wisconsin and across the country,” said Paul Weirtz, President of AT&T Wisconsin. “AT&T is proud to support the Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County as they work to provide solutions to those challenges and increase academic success for our students in need.”

These efforts are part of AT&T’s $2 billion commitment from 2021-2023 to help bridge the digital divide through investments in digital literacy tools, education resources, broadband technology, low-cost internet service, and computers. AT&T is committed to connecting more Americans to reliable, high-speed broadband internet in several ways, including expanding and upgrading our network and participating in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The goal of the Club is to help make sure every kid, regardless or income or circumstance, has the opportunity to thrive and an equal chance to reach their full potential.

About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T

We’re committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities and improving lives. As part of our company-wide $2 billion commitment from 2021-2023 to address the digital divide, we launched AT&T Connected Learning to invest in connectivity, technology, digital literacy and education solutions to help today’s learners succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Since 2008, we’ve committed more than $600 million to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.