ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Families in need at an Allentown elementary school will get new computer monitors thanks to a donation from Capital Blue Cross.
More than 300 of the computer accessories were delivered to Roosevelt Elementary School on Susquehanna Street recently.
Of those, 175 monitors are designated to school students and 20 will go to Sheridan Elementary School. Once the requests are met, Communities in Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania will work with the Allentown School District to distribute the remaining monitors to other families in need.
“This donation allows access to that critical information for hundreds of students and families who sometimes struggle to gain it.”Capital Blue Cross Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Susan Hubley
“We see so much of our world today through the window of computer monitors, which are gateways to the information we need to learn, live and work,” Capital Blue Cross Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Susan Hubley said.
“This donation allows access to that critical information for hundreds of students and families who sometimes struggle to gain it.”
The donation is part of a Capital Blue Cross initiative to improve the well-being of harder-to-reach communities in the Lehigh Valley and central Pennsylvania.
It was made possible with help from 11 Lehigh Valley-area labor unions, the Allentown School District facilities department, Communities in Schools, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Jersey Mike’s subs.
'Eliminate a barrier'
Phil Parise, program manager for Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania, said the monitors will be given out to specific families identified by the school.
"It was important to Roosevelt that specific families were identified in advance of this donation so that the resources can be distributed as equitably as possible.”
“Whether it's supporting the technology needs of an adult in the household or helping a student complete their schoolwork on a virtual instruction day, the computer monitors will hopefully help to eliminate a barrier that might have otherwise been in place."Phil Parise, program manager for Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania
Roosevelt is part of the Communities in Schools program, which assists community schools to remove barriers for students and families to help empower them to succeed in school and in life.
“Whether it's supporting the technology needs of an adult in the household or helping a student complete their schoolwork on a virtual instruction day, the computer monitors will hopefully help to eliminate a barrier that might have otherwise been in place,” Parise said.
His role is to connect the schools with these types of initiatives and help communication between the two.
