Mobile Beacon awards community grant to SPNN/CTEP AmeriCorps

Johnston, RI, May 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mobile Beacon is celebrating 10 years of providing high-speed, low-cost, mobile internet access to the anchors of communities: nonprofits, schools, libraries, and healthcare organizations. In honor of this anniversary, Mobile Beacon is providing 10 community grants to local and national organizations in support of their missions and the incredible work they do in their communities.

Mobile Beacon is honored to provide a community grant in celebration of this anniversary to SPNN’s Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP) AmeriCorps program in St. Paul, MN. We are honored to support SPNN in its mission to empower people to use communications and technology to make better lives, use authentic voice, and build common understanding. We are honored to be able to supply a $10,000 monetary donation, as well as 10 laptops, 10 4G LTE hotspot devices, and free Mobile Beacon service to the organization.

CTEP will provide mobile hotspots and unlimited service to participants who are completing digital literacy training. Additionally, the $10,000 donation will be used to support their AmeriCorps program for in-person and virtual training from providing basic computer skills, resume writing and help to find jobs.

“The pandemic has necessitated a huge shift in the way basic technology instruction occurs,” says CTEP Program Director Joel Krogstad. “Our AmeriCorps members spent months since the Spring of 2020 retooling programs to offer remote instruction alternatives and developing protocols to assess participant ability to learn remotely. But the folks who are most in need of basic tech skill instruction are also the least likely to have the technology at home to support remote instruction. Mobile Beacon’s funding and devices are directly supporting learners at our service sites to engage in learning that would have otherwise been completely inaccessible.”

Mobile Beacon is proud to be celebrating 10 years of providing nonprofits, schools, and libraries with Mobile Beacon’s unlimited mobile broadband service to connect their communities. In the 10 for 10-year grant series, Mobile Beacon hopes to not only provide anchors of the community with resources to help carry out their missions but also to raise awareness of the organizations we serve and their work in the community and beyond.

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About Mobile Beacon: Mobile Beacon provides high-speed, low-cost, mobile internet access to the anchors of communities: nonprofits, schools, libraries, and healthcare organizations. In honor of our 10th anniversary, Mobile Beacon is awarding 10 community grants to anchors of our local community, who embody a similar mission in creating opportunities for underserved groups and investing in our nation’s future. Through the broadband service, Mobile Beacon provides, organizations have an essential tool to fulfill their missions and maximize their philanthropic impact, which allows organizations to access more information, reach more people, and help more in their communities. Learn more at http://www.mobilebeacon.org.

About SPNN/CTEP AmeriCorps: The Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP) AmeriCorps program supports 35 AmeriCorps members at 30 partner sites throughout the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota. These members teach digital literacy skills for social, civic, and economic empowerment. They provide both in-person and remote instruction in everything from open computer lab environments to resume writing to job search assistance, all while certifying 1200 participants in Northstar Digital Literacy standards. 400 of these certified individuals will go on to secure new or better employment.

CTEP is a program of Saint Paul Neighborhood Network which has been St. Paul’s home for community media since 1984. SPNN’s mission is to empower people to use communications and technology to make better lives, use authentic voice, and build common understanding. Originally founded as a cable access television station to help communities share their voice through video and television, SPNN has evolved to pursue access in a broader sense over the last 35 years.

CONTACT: Lauren Yergeau Mobile Beacon 401-934-0500 lyergeau@mobilebeacon.org