Communities In Schools Of North Carolina Partners With Kramden Institute, Inc.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Linda Harrill, president of Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) ( www.cisnc.org), a nonprofit that helps youths stay in school, has announced that the organization has partnered with Kramden Institute, Inc., a nonprofit that provides hard-working but less fortunate students with home computers, to bridge the digital divide for students across the state. Through the partnership, Kramden Institute, Inc. will donate recycled and refurbished computers to students served by one of the 39 county affiliates in the CISNC network. CISNC’s mission is to connect community resources to schools to help children learn, stay in school and prepare for life. The computers donated by Kramden Institute, Inc. will provide students with the tools to develop a marketable skill to use upon graduation, one of the five basic resources CISNC believes every child needs and deserves. Kramden Institute, Inc. relies on computer donations from businesses and individuals as well as volunteers to refurbish the computers for deserving students. Since its inception in 2003, the organization has donated more than 2,700 refurbished computers with the help of 800 volunteers and community personal and corporate donations. The organization holds regular volunteer refurbishing sessions on the third Saturday of each month and every Wednesday evening as well as at its periodic ‘Geek-A-Thon®’ events. For more information on volunteering and a holiday volunteer schedule, visit www.kramden.org/volunteer/upcoming-events or e-mail volunteers@kramden.org. Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC), an independently incorporated nonprofit, was established in 1989 as a part of the national Communities In Schools network. The organization is the nation’s largest community-based dropout prevention program with nearly 200 communities serving 1.2 million youth in the United States. For more information about CISNC, call (800) 849-8881 or visit their Web site at www.cisnc.org. News Facts: • Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) ( www.cisnc.org), a nonprofit that helps youths stay in school, has partnered with Kramden Institute, Inc. to bridge the digital divide for students across the state. • Through the partnership, Kramden Institute, Inc. will donate recycled and refurbished computers to students served by one of the 39 county affiliates in the CISNC network. • Since Kramden Institute, Inc.’s inception in 2003, the organization has donated more than 2,700 refurbished computers with the help of 800 volunteers and community donations. • The organization holds regular volunteer refurbishing sessions on the third Saturday of each month and every Wednesday evening. • For more information on volunteering and a holiday volunteer schedule, visit www.kramden.org/volunteer/upcoming-events or e-mail volunteers@kramden.org. Quotes: ‘We are pleased to partner with Kramden Institute,’ said Harrill. ‘Kramden’s computer donations will allow us to provide our students the opportunity to learn an essential skill to compete in the 21st century workplace.’ ‘Kramden Institute’s new partnership with Communities In Schools of North Carolina will help us reach hard working students across the state in need of personal computers,’ said Mark D. Dibner, Chairman of Kramden Institute, Inc. ‘We are excited to work with CISNC to fulfill our joint mission to bridge the digital divide and help kids stay in school.’ About Communities In Schools Of North Carolina: Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC), an independently incorporated nonprofit, was established in 1989 as a part of the national Communities In Schools network. The organization is the nation’s largest community-based dropout prevention program with nearly 200 communities serving 1.2 million youth in the United States. CISNC is overseen by a board of directors that represents both public and private interests for the state. The 39 local CIS affiliates across North Carolina connect existing county-wide resources with students and their families at schools to ensure that youth continue to stay in school, learn necessary skills and are well-prepared to begin working or attend a post-secondary school after graduation. CISNC provides both regional and on-site training and technical assistance, serves as an information center for local communities concerned about young people at risk of school failure, and builds partnerships with state agencies and organizations to benefit youth across the state. For more information, call (800) 849-8881 or visit their Web site at www.cisnc.org. About Kramden: Inspire. Encourage. Educate. Recycle. Kramden Institute, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to bridge the digital divide for students who work hard in school but cannot afford a home computer. Kramden recycles and refurbishes computers to donate to students, inspiring them to work harder in school. The refurbishing activities are achieved through volunteer events including weekend-long events, known as Geek-A-Thons®. Kramden has donated more than 2,700 computers to students and others in need throughout North Carolina. Including the parents and siblings of Kramden awardees, more than 11,000 people in North Carolina have been brought across the digital divide since Kramden started in 2003. Learn more at www.kramden.org.