100 computers already delivered to Doral schools in 2016!

City of Doral Government Center
8401 NW 53rd Terrace
Doral, FL 33166
305-59 DORAL (305-593-6725)

July 14, 2016
For immediate distribution
For More Information
(MEDIA ONLY):
Maggie Santos (305)409-9762
Maggie.Santos@cityofdoral.com

Doral, FL – On July 13th, 2016, forty (40) refurbished computers arrived at the Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 Center to begin their new careers as teaching tools for Doral’s school children. The donation brings the overall total of computers donated to City of Doral schools to 100, thanks to a computer donation program spearheaded by Vice Mayor Christi Fraga, and supported unanimously by a City Council Resolution from December 2015. Members of the Eugenia B. Thomas PTA, school officials, and Vice Mayor Christi Fraga were on hand to receive the computers, which among many things, will be used in the school’s Media Center for ESOL curriculum students to learn English.  

The City of Doral computer donation program includes an agreement between the City and the South Florida Digital Alliance (SFDA), a non-for profit organization which collects the City’s surplus computers, which in the past had been sold at auction for nominal return, and refurbishes them using funds from a generous grant provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The SFDA then redistributes the computers to any Doral school that places a request with the organization. The recycling aspect of the program also makes it a “green” initative.

Thanks to the City of Doral computer donation program, between February and April 2016, the SFDA has already delivered thirty-five (35) computers to Dr. Ronaldo Espinosa K-8 Center, and twenty-five (25) to John I Smith K-8. Vice Mayor Fraga expects that during this first year in operation, the program will donate 150 computers to Doral schools and will average 100 computers in annual donations going forward. 

Doral PTAs work very hard to improve educational resources for students in our community. They approached me with this need and I was honored to have been able to help out by putting forth this initiative. I’m enormously thankful that we have reached the milestone of having donated 100 computers, and I want to thank my colleagues for their support, as well as the City’s administration, and the Information Technology Department. One of my commitments with Doral is to promote excellent quality educational standards and resources for our local schools. We are working hard to reach the 150 computer goal by December of 2016,” said Vice mayor Fraga. “We are also expecting that this program will continue for many years to come in our community.” 

The SFDA was incorporated in 2009 under the name of the Miami-Dade Broadband Coalition and collaborates with local organizations and government to implement programs such as the one that has been established with the City of Doral in order to help spread affordable technology throughout communities.   

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