TRAINING PROGRAM AND FREE COMPUTERS TO HARTFORD RESIDENTS

Published on December 13, 2022

MAYOR BRONIN, HARTFORD HEALTHCARE, AND OUR PIECE OF THE PIE ANNOUNCE TRAINING PROGRAM AND DISTRIBUTION OF FREE COMPUTERS TO HARTFORD RESIDENTS

HARTFORD, CONN (December 13, 2022) – Today, the City of Hartford announced a partnership with Hartford Healthcare and Our Piece of the Pie to donate used computers to Hartford residents in need, while also providing advanced hardware training to Hartford teens. As part of this program, Hartford Healthcare will donate used computers to be refurbished by Hartford Youth Service Corps (YSC) members before being distributed to Hartford senior citizens and first-generation college students.

The initiative aims to provide technical computer training to Hartford youth.  Youth Service Corps members are currently receiving advanced computer hardware training, for which they will receive a certificate from the Stratford Career Institute.  Through the program, YSC members will be directly refurbishing these donated computers, learning about hardware assembly, and replacing hard drives and other essential computer components.  Upon completing the program, YSC members will be eligible for an internship with Hartford HealthCare’s IT Department.

The program will also distribute computers to senior citizens (aged 55+) and first-generation college students in Hartford, with the City of Hartford’s Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation in charge of distribution.  The City will be promoting the distribution of the computers at the City’s four neighborhood senior centers and two community centers.  They will also promote through youth-serving community based organizations.

"The Digital Dividends program is a win-win, helping bridge the digital equity divide by distributing computers from Hartford HealthCare to Hartford residents so they can access telehealth appointments, apply for jobs, or get their homework done -- while at the same time providing our Youth Service Corps members with the chance to build computer hardware skills and secure an internship with one of our largest employers," said Mayor Bronin. "I want to thank Hartford HealthCare for their continued investment in the City of Hartford and our community, and I want to thank the team at Our Piece of the Pie for helping grow the Hartford Youth Service Corps into the tremendously powerful youth development program it is today." 

“This program is a force multiplier. Together we are pushing the envelope one person at a time; and that person will push the envelope for so many others,” said Hartford Hospital President Bimal Patel. “This is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do from a business and socioeconomic perspective.”

Hartford Healthcare will donate 150 computers in their first round, which will be refurbished and ready for distribution in the winter of 2023.  The program will be funded through American Rescue Plans already allocated to the Youth Service Corps via Hartford’s UNITY grant.  Other partners include the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, as well as UpCycle.

“This is a great example of the impact strong partnerships can make in our community: gratitude to Hartford Healthcare, City of Hartford, and the United Way.  As a result Our Piece of the Pie’s Youth Service Corps youth will have the opportunity to learn entry level skills in a thriving industry-IT and Hartford residents will now be able to access the free Broadband offered in the City of Hartford as well as no-cost computers.  This is only the beginning!” said Hector Rivera, President and CEO of Our Piece of the Pie.

Eligible Hartford residents can apply for the computers at the City’s four neighborhood senior centers (located at 45 Wadsworth Street, 80 Coventry Street, 11 New Park Avenue, or 830 Maple Avenue), by contacting the City of Hartford’s Arnaldo Perez at (860) 757-9508, or via this online form.   For more information on the Hartford Youth Service Corps, which was launched by Mayor Bronin in July of 2016 and has provided over 1,500 Hartford youth with an opportunity to build job skills, earn a paycheck, and help strengthen neighborhoods, please visit Youth Service Corps – City of Hartford (hartfordct.gov).