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

Contact: Amanda Murphy

614-214-6755 or amurphy@connectohio.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 19, 2011

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

COLUMBUS – On Tuesday, July 19, Connect Ohio presented Sharon Griebling of Bucyrus with a new laptop computer during a short media event at Pioneer Career and Technology Center’s Bucyrus location. Griebling was selected as a winner in a random drawing following her participation in the Every Citizen Online program, a free statewide basic computer and Internet training program.

“I really enjoyed the training,” said Griebling. “The Internet was totally Greek to me. Kathy, the instructor, explained things on a level that was easy to understand. I didn’t know how to e-mail before (the training) and have been practicing. I have the Internet at home and an old computer. I’m excited to have 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.

“Pioneer has been offering career training to our community for the past 43 years,” said Bob Hartwell, Pioneer CTC technology coordinator. “Our cooperation with Connect Ohio to offer these classes fits into what we do every day for our students – at our main campus in Shelby, as well as branches like the Crawford County Job and Family Services Center in Bucyrus. Pioneer congratulates Sharon as one of the citizens who took advantage of these free classes, as well as being the lucky winner of a new computer.“

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 information on upcoming Every Citizen Online training classes at Pioneer Career and Technology Center, call 419-347-7744 ext. 1303.

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.

# # #

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.


Related Links: Connect Ohio on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ConnectOhio


Connect Ohio on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConnectOH