|
IBM,
AT&T employees help seniors
use the Internet at 135 libraries and centers
in
more than 30 states
PHILADELPHIA, April 10 /PRNewswire/ --
AT&T and IBM have tapped their employees to help bring access to the
Internet -- and knowledge of how to use it -- to senior citizens around the
country.
Last year, the two companies collaborated
to sponsor a $660,000 grant to Generations on Line and SeniorNet, Inc. Since
then, more than 130 AT&T and IBM employees have suggested libraries, senior
centers and nursing homes in communities in 30 states where their parents or
grandparents live to receive Generations on Line, a free simplified Internet
program created exclusively for seniors.
Funding for this unique initiative is
provided by the IBM Global Work/Life Fund and the AT&T Family Care
Development Fund. The AT&T Family Care Development Fund is a joint project
of AT&T, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the
Communications Workers of America (CWA).
As a result of employee involvement, 135
new facilities now offer this program free to IBM and AT&T relatives and
other seniors. Sixty-five libraries, nursing homes and senior centers have
added Generations on Line to their facilities. "We are a small community
that has had a lot of interest in Generations on Line," said Barbara Winter
at the Pipestone Senior Center in Minnesota. "We've had a lot of positive
feedback about Generations on Line and have a couple of people who come in
everyday to use it and they love it. I think it's great because it is so
simple for the seniors to use."
Carol Fjellanger is the IBMer who
nominated the Senior Center in Pipestone, MN, her mother's community, to
receive the Generations on Line software. Pipestone is about 180 miles from
where Fjellanger lives in Rochester, MN. The Generations on Line program
makes it possible for elders, such as Fjellanger's mother, to stay in touch
with family members who do not live nearby -- in this case, two children,
five grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. "Now she wants her own
computer so she doesn't have to go to the Senior Center to send her
e-mails!" says Fjellanger proudly.
In addition, 70 SeniorNet sites have added
Generations on Line to their computer learning centers. Ann Wrixon,
President and CEO of SeniorNet said, "When I walked into the SeniorNet
Learning Center in Jaspar, Arkansas, which is in the middle of the Ozarks --
an extremely rural community -- there was the Generations on Line computer
right in the middle of the lobby with 3 seniors crowded around it."
Dr. Joseph Romano, AT&T Human Resources
Vice President -- Health Affairs said, "We're pleased to be associated with
such a worthwhile program, and we're happy that, in many communities
throughout the U.S., our employees and their families are benefiting from
it."
Tobey Dichter, founder and CEO of
Generations on Line, estimates that more than 8,000 seniors have overcome
their fear of computers through this simplified program. "This grant is an
example of corporate leadership recognizing the needs of employees with
older family members as well as the importance to those employees of staying
connected with their elder relatives."
Generations on Line (www.generationsonline.org)
is a nonprofit program launched in September 2000 and is now in more than
670 senior centers, nursing homes, retirement communities, subsidized
housing units and public libraries in 46 states and Canada. Through clear,
step-by-step, on-screen directions in large type, the ad-free program guides
elderly computer novices through the basics. Generations on Line provides
free, simplified email service and, through a partnership with AltaVista.com,
enables a user to "surf the Net" in 25 languages. The program, available
only to institutions, also includes the opportunity for seniors to respond
to children's questions about the past, and links to other sites.
Generations on Line is intended to break down the barriers of access, skill
and intimidation for 21 million people over 65 who otherwise might not use
the Internet.
SeniorNet (www.seniornet.org) is the
world's premier technology trainer and online community for adults over 50.
Based in San Francisco and founded in 1986, SeniorNet is a major
international organization that has taught hundreds of thousands of older
adults to use computers and the Internet and has enriched the lives of
millions through its website. With a thriving online community and a network
of more than 240 locally run Learning Centers in the U.S. staffed by more
than 6,000 volunteers, SeniorNet offers both offline and online destinations
to a population that was originally neglected in the information revolution.
Many of SeniorNet's partners and sponsors, which include major corporations
and foundations, underwrite and co-brand areas of the SeniorNet website as a
way to market their products and services to the coveted 50+ segment.
More information can be found at
www.seniornet.org and www.generationsonline.org
.
|