Printer
Friendly Version
Wyden joins students &
educators to celebrate arrival of $56,000 in computer equipment
at River Road / El Camino del Rio Elementary School
Senator worked with several
Oregon schools throughout the grant process
March 19, 2004
Eugene, OR – U.S. Senator
Ron Wyden today joined students and educators at River Road/El
Camino del Rio Elementary School in Eugene to celebrate the arrival
of more than $55,000 in state-of-the-art computer equipment donated
by the Beaumont Foundation of America.
In February 2003, Wyden and
Frank Newton, Executive Director of the Beaumont Foundation, encouraged
Oregon schools and community organizations to apply for the equipment
grants, which are targeted toward underserved schools and community
groups. Wyden subsequently worked with several schools to assist
them through the grant process.
“Today, just over one
year after calling for Oregon schools and community groups to
apply for computer grants through the Beaumont Foundation, we’re
seeing the fruits of our labors,” Wyden said. “Although
the one million dollars in equipment is an impressive figure,
this equipment is about much more than the price tag: it’s
about working to find new solutions so that every Oregonian has
an equal opportunity for a quality education.”
Throughout Oregon, the Beaumont
Foundation is providing more than $1 million in computer equipment
to underserved schools and community groups. The Foundation’s
core purpose is to grant state-of-the-art, Internet-enabled, wireless
computer hardware to Americans—through qualifying non-profits,
faith-based and community organizations, libraries and schools—who
do not have access to the vast educational benefits of the Internet,
and to collaborate with existing successful organizations to provide
the technical support to utilize it.
“Success requires hard
work by students and teachers,” said Newton. “But
it is the vision and leadership of Senator Wyden which opened
the door.”
“The generosity of the Beaumont Foundation and the assistance
of Senator Ron Wyden have made an incredible difference in the
technological prowess of our children,” said Sara Cramer,
Principal of River Road/El Camino del Rio. “In tough financial
times we struggle to meet basic needs. Luxury items like computers
are often far beyond our monetary grasp. All of us at River Road/El
Camino del Rio are truly grateful for the computer equipment we
received and for the doors it will assist us in opening for our
children.”
Wyden thanked the Beaumont Foundation
for their commitment to bringing technology to the underserved
in Oregon, saying, “More than a million dollars in computer
equipment grants will make a real, concrete difference for kids
and community groups in Oregon. On behalf of the state of Oregon,
I would like to thank the Beaumont Foundation for bringing brand-new,
state-of-the-art computer equipment to our smallest citizens –
the ones who will benefit most in the future from access to technology
today.”
# # #
NOTE: For more information about the Beaumont Foundation of America,
visit www.bmtfoundation.com.