Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Community computer centers helping change lives

Public Computer Centers Open

Justin M. Bowen

IT associate Brian Reese shows Jo Aston the public computer center at Doolittle Community Center. Doolittle is one of 29 such centers serving people in low-income communities.

Public Computer Centers Open

People use the new public computer center at Doolittle Community Center. Doolittle is one of 29 such centers serving people in low-income communities. Launch slideshow »

Map of Doolittle Community Center

Doolittle Community Center

1950 N. J St., Las Vegas

Four months ago, Julia Mann was living in a domestic violence shelter.

The 51-year-old was unemployed. Her previous jobs as a cocktail waitress, food server and discount store cashier had not panned out, and she was struggling to take care of her 5-year-old son, who has Down syndrome.

Mann wanted to better her situation, so she turned to one of 29 new Nevada Public Computer Centers for help.

“I was completely computer illiterate,” she said. “I didn’t even know how to turn on a computer.”

But with the assistance of the staff at the Stupak Community Center, Mann learned how to operate a computer, e-mail family in Mexico and write a resume. Eventually, she was able to land a job with a pizza chain.

“There is a great deal of need for these centers,” Mann said. “My life is completely different now.”

Community leaders gathered Friday to celebrate the grand opening of the latest public computer center at Doolittle Community Center, 1950 North J St.

As children played games and surfed the Web in the new computer lab, Jeff Drothler posed a question to the dozens of supporters gathered for the opening.

“Can you just imagine what your life would be like without technology?” the NPCC program manager asked. “If you didn’t have a job, how will you find one without a computer?”

The new computer center at Doolittle was made possible by a three-year, $4.68 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Las Vegas Urban League, in partnership with the city of Las Vegas, Cox Communications and other organizations, spearheaded an effort that began in March 2009 to help bridge the technology gap in low-income communities.

“I didn’t grow up with a computer. I had to learn how to operate one in my junior year of college,” said Las Vegas City Councilman Ricki Barlow, who represents Ward 5, where the new center is located. “I don’t get Twitter, Facebook and Myspace, but I do understand the importance of technology.”

“This is not a black issue, a Hispanic issue or a white issue,” Barlow said. “This is about the development of our young people and making sure they have all the tools to succeed.”

Clark County received the grant in March, which paved the way for 15 new computer centers and upgrading 14 existing centers. When completed by the end of the year, each center will have between 13 and 15 computers. The county’s grant was the fourth largest of 20 grants awarded nationally.

The new computer center at Doolittle houses nine Dell desktop computers connected to Cox’s broadband Internet network. It is a free, no-reservation or time-limit resource that also offers job, software and homework help from 23 trained support staffers.

It means the world to people like Deandre Mathews, one of 1,800 residents who used the centers last week. The 16-year-old junior at Canyon Springs High School doesn’t have a computer at home and comes to the center every day to do homework and to talk with his friends on Myspace.

“It’s very helpful,” Mathews said. “I like coming here, being surrounded by people I can depend on.”

Juergen Barbusca, a Cox representative, said, “This is helping to change lives. We are making the digital age available to those who don’t have access.”

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