Digitunity and Partners Deliver Laptop Computers to Rural Families, Expanding Their Opportunities
The leading national nonprofit devoted to computer access partners with AT&T and Chicanos Por La Causa Parenting Arizona to connect families in six Arizona communities with 120 computers, giving them access to educational and employment resources.
NORTH CONWAY, N.H., April 9, 2025 (Newswire.com) - Digitunity, a national nonprofit with a mission to make computer ownership possible for everyone, announced today that it has begun distributing 120 laptop computers to families across six rural Arizona communities, in partnership with AT&T and Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) Parenting Arizona.
This effort is part of Digitunity's AT&T Rural project, designed to increase access to digital services by providing free and low-cost computers to rural families who lacked such devices. It demonstrates Digitunity's commitment to addressing the digital divide through partnering with trusted community-based organizations to deliver solutions and shape systems to eliminate barriers to computer ownership and empower people with digital opportunity.
In this initiative, the Digitunity AT&T Rural project has partnered with the CPLC Parenting Arizona initiative to provide computers to families with children from prenatal to 5 years old. The new computers will enable the young families to participate in virtual visits with Parent Educators, access online healthcare resources, and engage with educational activities essential to their children's early development.
"As more services like appointment scheduling and applications shift online, computers become a critical bridge for families to access these resources," said Jennifer Goodall, program director at CPLC Parenting Arizona. "Some families may need more guidance in using technology, while others simply need the tools to help themselves."
By bringing digital tools into homes, Digitunity and its partners are addressing an urgent need in Arizona. More than 340,000 households - about 12% of the state - do not own a large-screen computing device. And nearly one-quarter of the state's residents said a lack of access to computers or other digital devices prevented them from using the internet, according to Arizona's Digital Equity Plan.
"Families in the rural parts of Arizona have two different obstacles: a gap in resources and a method to access the resources available," said Renato Ramos, associate director at CPLC Parenting Arizona. "Every family has strengths that our teams focus on to help families navigate whatever situation they may be facing. Having a computer to find a job, update information for their kids' school, or anything else they can work through themselves, helps to build upon these strengths and that feeling of pride in themselves."
The initiative is already underway, with CPLC Parenting Arizona staff beginning laptop distribution in late March 2025 via its established Home Visitation program. The project will deliver 75 laptops to La Paz-Mohave, 23 to Sierra Vista, 10 to Flagstaff, six to Globe, and six to Hopi. Through the home visits, CPLC staff will help families build valuable digital skills and connect to essential support services for parents and children.
For families in CPLC's Home Visitation program, the laptops will allow them to conduct virtual visits with Parent Educators, participate in monthly group connections on topics like dental health and child nutrition, and access developmental activities for children up to age 5. This evidence-based program helps children develop a strong foundation for kindergarten.
For families in CPLC's Family Support Coordination program, the laptops represent pathways to self-sufficiency. Parents can now more easily apply for employment, complete online GED courses, conduct virtual check-ins with coordinators, and research and access essential services like WIC, SNAP, and housing assistance.
Through collaborations like this project, Digitunity continues to advance its mission of eliminating barriers to digital opportunity. By equipping people with computers and devices they lack, Digitunity, AT&T, and CPLC Parenting Arizona empower families with the means to succeed in the modern digital economy.
For more information about Digitunity's programs and initiatives, visit www.digitunity.org.
About Digitunity
Digitunity is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to make owning a computer possible for everyone. For over 40 years, Digitunity has been engaged in the work of shaping and strengthening systems to address the computer needs of those impacted by the digital divide. Through generating and placing donated computers with organizations serving people in need, supporting a national practitioner network, and providing strategic advisory support to states and cities, Digitunity works to create sustainable solutions that make computer ownership possible for all.
Contact Information
Maria Penaloza
maria.penaloza@newswire.com
Source: Digitunity
