500 Chester students receive free home computer and internet

It’s all smiles at the recent announcement of the Gureghian Charitable Foundation’s donation of home computers and Internet service, provided by Internet Essentials from Comcast, for Chester Community Charter School’s seventh- and eighth- grade students, on the school's East and West campuses. Pictured above (from left to right) Danielle Gureghian, chair, Gureghian Charitable Foundation; Joe Watkins, receiver, Chester Upland School District; David L. Cohen, executive vice president, Comcast; Vahan Gureghian, founder, Gureghian Charitable Foundation; and Pennsylvania State Representative Bill Adolph.

Chester Community Charter School (CCCS), the largest K-8 charter school in Pennsylvania, today announced that it has received a contribution of free home computers and broadband Internet access for all of its seventh-and eighth-grade students and their families.  David L. Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast, announced that the Philadelphia-based entertainment company partnered with   Vahan and Danielle Gureghian, through the Gureghian Charitable Foundation in providing the computers and broadband Internet access from Comcast to the CCCS students. The total value of the Foundation’s donation is approximately $150,000.

In remarks given to more than 250 students, faculty, staff, parents and invited guests, Cohen said, “Today’s announcement for the Chester Community Charter School is a perfect example of how public-private partnerships can make a difference in the lives of our youth and help shape the future of a city." He continued, “In the past seven years, Comcast has contributed more than $194,000 in grants and in-kind services to local, Chester-based, non-profit partners like the Boys & Girls Club of Chester, the United Way of Southeast Pennsylvania, Habitat for Humanity of Delaware County, Community Action Agency of Delaware County and the Red Cross Chester-Wallingford Chapter, as well as scholarships to Chester students through our Leaders & Achievers Scholarship program. On top of all this, in 2011 Comcast launched Internet Essentials, which is an affordable, broadband program for low-income families, with a mission to address the digital divide. I hope the generosity of the Gureghian Charitable Foundation is a catalyst for even more positive change in Chester.”

Commenting on the significance of the Comcast partnership with the Foundation, Danielle Gureghian, chair of the Gureghian Charitable Foundation, said, "Our goal, with the Foundation's contribution of Internet Essentials for the 7th-and 8th-grade students of Chester Community Charter School, is to level the playing field for the young minds of Chester.” She continued, “These are students who deserve to have the same opportunities and resources as students in any of the surrounding communities. Our foundation is dedicated not only to improving opportunities for the students of Chester, but also to improving opportunities for their families and caregivers.”

Remarks given by Joe Watkins, receiver, Chester Upland School District, conveyed an importance to meaningful partnerships among District and charter schools, and the business community. He said, “As the receiver for Chester Upland School District, I am so happy to be here today as we shepherd in a new era of cooperation between the District and its public schools. The 7000 students of this District deserve the best education we can give them; some will get it from public charter schools and others from traditional schools managed by the District. The important thing is that we all hold the same goal and that we work together to achieve that goal.”

In stopping to speak directly to students, Watkins explained, “With the generosity of the Gureghian Charitable Foundation, you are going to be receiving a powerful resource that is going to give you all a leg up in achieving your educational goals.”

Internet Essentials from Comcast is a broadband home Internet service provided to poverty-stricken, underserved areas, at a heavily discounted rate. Participants receive fast home Internet service, locked in at $9.95 per month; the opportunity to purchase a computer at initial enrollment for $149.99 + tax; free Internet training; ConstantGuard Protection Suite and Norton Security Suite and Identity Guard. To qualify, families need to be located in a Comcast service area, have at least one child that is eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program, must not have subscribed to Comcast Internet service in the last 90 days and/or not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment.