UScellular is donating 35 wireless hotspots and at least 13 months of service to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor to ensure internet access through the 2021-22 school year.
The hotspots will help the Boys & Girls Clubs boost their connectivity when area youth are at the club for virtual learning, and will also be loaned out to families to support access at home, helping provide equitable learning opportunities and keeping local youth connected to their education.
While the Cedar Rapids Community School District will return to in-person classes in the fall, the hotspots will continue to be a vital tool for students to study and complete schoolwork at home or at their club, according to a news release.
“We appreciate UScellular’s continued support of club programming,” said John Tursi, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor. “It is our goal to help get kids back on track in school after a year of so many stops and starts, so the hotspots will be instrumental in running our Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and education programs.”
The hotspots connect to UScellular’s network to provide high-speed connectivity for club members throughout the area. Each hotspot can support multiple club members throughout any given day.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor provide an essential service for youth in our community, and we want to help ensure their members have the connectivity they need to be successful,” said Matt Kasper, UScellular’s director of sales for east Iowa. “Wireless technology is key to providing broadband service to families in both urban and rural areas, and we believe that every household deserves access to reliable internet access. The pandemic has been hard on many people, and kids are no exception. At UScellular, we want to do our part to ensure youth in our area have the resources they need to stay connected when not in their classrooms.”
UScellular has donated more than $560,000 in hotspots and wireless service to eight Boys & Girls Clubs in Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin in 2021. The company has also donated $205,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor to support STEM educational experiences and other initiatives, including $30,000 in 2021.
