I am a 17-year-old Junior at Hough High School. I also helped to found the charity E2D Inc! Saturday is a huge day for E2D. I need to tell you all about it. 3rd Annual E2D Lemonade Stand Day – “Squeezing the Digital Divide!” Saturday, May 16th, 9am-12pm – All over Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville.
What is the appropriate price for a cup of lemonade? Not just any lemonade, but the kind that’s made of water and powder that little kids sell on the street corner in small plastic cups? Before you answer, what if I promised you this cup of lemonade would be equally the most satisfying and gratifying lemonade you’ve ever had?
The proceeds from these lemonade stands won’t end up in the bottom of piggy bank or spent on candy and gum. No! This lemonade will positively transform the lives of some young students forever. (Now this may be the first time you’ve heard of a lemonade stand doing that!)
[Among other spots, volunteers will have a stand set up at the ‘Tawba Walk in downtown Cornelius Saturday afternoon. Details on that event in our Events Calendar. See more about the 2014 Lemonade Stand day on CorneliusNews.net.]
ELIMINATING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
By now I am hoping that you’ve heard of E2D and know that it stands for “Eliminate the Digital Divide.” What exactly is a “digital divide?” My sister Franny figured it out pretty quickly. A couple of years ago when she was in the 6th grade over at Bailey Middle School, she came home and said, “I don’t get it. Every assignment we get at school assumes that you have a computer at home. I know there are plenty of people at Bailey who don’t own their own computers. How can they be expected to do their work? This is not fair. What are we going to do about it?”
Franny’s observation really started E2D. Our entire family quickly became fairly obsessed by this inequality and so the key question became: What are we going to do about it? Well, let me tell you what we HAVE done about it.
The first thing we did was to go to some leaders in the community and ask them what they thought about the digital divide. Among the first people we spoke with were Davidson Mayor John Woods, Cornelius Mayor Chuck Travis, former Davidson Town Commissioner Margo Williams and the amazing Georgia Krueger at Ada Jenkins Center. Each of them immediately recognized the problem and knew that our towns had plenty of families that didn’t own their own computers. They didn’t just talk about it, they acted; and their actions have been vital and have created a massive opportunity for hundreds of families.
Since early 2013, E2D has worked with the benefit and generosity of so many community partners. Lowe’s Home Improvement, just up the road in Mooresville, has provided us refurbished laptops from their employees. Mi-Connection has provided low-cost access to the internet for E2D families. Davidson College has provided dozens and dozens of student volunteers to help teach families how to use their new technology. So many people have made donations.
Since we started just over 2 years ago, with the amazing help of this entire community, we have been able to distribute over 600 computers to families locally. This is great progress toward our eventual goal of TOTALLY eliminating the digital divide. There are now more than 3,200 people who use E2D laptops every day!
Franny Millen.
While these numbers are impressive and we take great satisfaction in the success and growth that students are showing every day at school, we know that there is so much more that needs to be done.
Dr. Laura Rosenbach, Principal at Hough High School, can tell you that the improvement and overall positive results shown by E2D kids at Hough are impressive.
I was fortunate enough to be the person to notify over 75 students that they would be the recipients of computers and internet access, and I can tell you it was one of the best days I have had in my career as an administrator. The students reacted by jumping up and down, crying and flashing huge smiles. The E2D group gave the students something they never expected and they were truly grateful and overwhelmed knowing how much they would use the computer and internet access. When they walked out of the room a few weeks later, trained and ready to use their own computer, they held their heads up high and had a joyful bounce in their step. The students were excited to share their news and immediately began to use the E2D computers for their school work. Even though it has only been two months since we first handed out computers at Hough, the impact has been seen by teachers in the amount of assignments turned in and the readiness of students for class. We feel truly blessed to be a partner of E2D and cannot thank them enough for the impact they have had on our students and families.
So, again, what is the value of a cup of lemonade sold to you by a local kid? In reality, the value and impact are priceless.
This Saturday, May 16th from 9am-12pm, kids from all over this part of the county will have lemonade stands set up all over the place, raising donations for E2D.
Both Mayor Woods and Mayor Travis have issued Proclamations that this Saturday is “E2D Lemonade Stand Day” for the Towns of Davidson and Cornelius.
Please stop by a stand (or make multiple stops at multiple stands) and when you consider the value of a cup of lemonade to satisfy your thirst…also think about the value of that cup of lemonade to the students in our community.
If you feel that E2D’s work is important, please make a generous donation for a cup of the best (and certainly most important) cup of lemonade you may ever enjoy.
E2D BY THE NUMBERS
1 12 year-old girl who decided that some kids not having access to basic technology to do their schoolwork was unfair.
28 The number of months that E2D has been working on solving the digital divide locally.
3 Towns Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville, in which E2D operates.
600+ The number of computers that E2D has distributed to families.
3,200+ Estimated number of individuals that use E2D computers daily.
12 The number of schools that E2D has, and continues to work with. (Hough High School, North Mecklenburg High School, Bailey Middle School, Davidson, Cornelius, JV Washam, Grand Oak, Barnette, Huntersville, Torrence Creek, Long Creek and Blythe Elementary Schools)
$1,800 The total cost for an average Middle Class family to purchase a new laptop plus a year of home-based internet
$120 The total subscription that E2D families contribute to receive a laptop and internet connection for a year.
1 Part-time employee who works for E2D.
24 Volunteers that regularly work for E2D.
45 Davidson College students that have routinely volunteered for E2D as computer trainers.
40 E2D Lemonade Stands that will operate all throughout North Mecklenburg from 9:00am to noon on Saturday, May 16th.
$9,200 The amount of money raised by E2D Lemonade Stands in 2013-14.
100 Percentage of dollars that will go directly to subsidizing technology solutions for CMS families at schools.
Priceless The educational impact upon a single student who can, for the first time ever, accomplish all school assignments at home.
Unlimited The upward trajectory and potential that is launched once a student can access all of the educational opportunities afforded to him/her by CMS.
Unlimited The positive pride and future prospects for families that heretofore have languished through generations of poverty.
Unlimited E2D’s gratitude to you, Community Citizens, for supporting us.
JV Washam Elementary School students and families put up one of their lemonade stands near the fountain at Birkdale Village in May 2014
