Connect Ohio Awards Computer to Fulton County Participant of Free Statewide Internet Training Program

Contact: Amanda Murphy

614-214-6755 or amurphy@connectohio.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 21, 2011

Twelve Ohioans were randomly selected to receive a new laptop computer following completion of the free computer-training program

COLUMBUS – On Thursday, July 21, Connect Ohio presented Louise Beldon of Archbold with a new laptop computer during a short media event at Northwest State Community College (NSCC). Beldon was selected as a winner in a random drawing following her participation in the Every Citizen Online (ECO) program, a free statewide basic computer and Internet training program.

“I was just ready to buy a new desktop computer because mine is old,” said Beldon, when notified that she had won a new computer. “I enjoyed the (training) class. I like to use the Internet to read e-mail, play computer games, and look up recipes. I want to learn Facebook and other websites.”

"Louise was a very good student,” said Clint Parry, community computer skills instructor with NSCC. “She had used computers a little before taking the class. Now, she’ll be able to keep practicing at home with a brand new one!"

Connect Ohio, a nonprofit public-private partnership, is distributing a total of 12 new laptop computers to Ohio adults who completed the Every Citizen Online free basic computer-training program between April 5 and June 20, 2011. Program participants completed an online survey following the training and were entered into the random drawing giveaway.

“It’s great to see how taking an ECO class can make a big difference for a student like Louise, and seeing her win a computer has made us even more exited about the classes that we continue to offer,” said Ben Armstrong, NSCC library supervisor.

Connect Ohio has partnered with more than 200 libraries, community colleges, education and career centers across the state to offer the Every Citizen Online training. More than 8,000 adults have already taken advantage of the training since it launched in late December 2010. The training consists of 2 hours each of Basic Introduction to Computers, An Introduction to the Internet, and Tools and Benefits of using the Internet. Participants are helped to establish an e-mail account and provided with additional training resources to help them continue to learn and use information available online. Connect Ohio plans to train a total of 200,000 Ohioans by program completion in December 2012.

For more information on Northwest State Community College’s Every Citizen Online training classes, call 419-267-1274. Classes are currently offered at the following locations:

•Northwest State Community College
22600 State Route 34, Archbold

• Fulton County OneStop
604 South Shoop Avenue, Suite 110, Wauseon

• Evergreen Community Library
253 Maple Street, Metamora

• Swanton Local School District Public Library
305 Chestnut Street, Swanton

Additional training locations can be found by calling 1-855-NOW-I-CAN (669-42260) or by visiting http://connectoh.org/consumer_training/training_facilities.php.

Contest rules and guidelines are listed on Connect Ohio’s website at http://connectoh.org/consumer_training/computer_giveaway.php or you may receive a copy by e-mailing amurphy@connectohio.org.

For more information on the Every Citizen Online program, visit http://connectohio.org/consumer_training.

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Connect Ohio, a division of Connected Nation, is a nonprofit, technology-neutral public-private partnership that works with telecommunications providers, business and community leaders, information technology companies, researchers, public agencies, libraries and universities in an effort to help extend affordable high-speed Internet service to every Ohio household. For more information about what Connect Ohio is doing to accelerate technology in Ohio's communities, visit http://www.connectohio.org.


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