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

Contact: Amanda Murphy

614-214-6755 or amurphy@connectohio.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 26, 2011

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

COLUMBUS – On Tuesday, July 26, Connect Ohio presented Patricia O’Connor of Centerville with a new laptop computer during a short media event at the University of Dayton. O’Connor 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.

“The (training) program was great,” said O’Connor. “I didn’t get online much before the training. I learned some things I had never known. My husband also took the training and is online a lot since. We even told our friends about it, who also took the training and loved it too!”

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.

"The University of Dayton is proud to be one of the sites for the free computer training as part of the Every Citizen Online program," said David Wright, University of Dayton director of curriculum innovation and e-learning. "Awarding a free laptop to one of the participants in the Every Citizen Online program is a great way to showcase how important it is that everyone in the State develop familiarity with modern computers and the Internet. This will help drive greater citizen participation online and the growth of our economy."

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 Every Citizen Online training classes at the University of Dayton or to register, call 937-229-2347.

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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