Thanks to financial support from the Marin Community Foundation, outdoor Wi-Fi access points will be installed and maintained at Bayside Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, Marin Gateway shopping center and George “Rocky” Graham Park in Marin City. This is a crucial undertaking as most school districts are relying on online learning, and have been since the shelter-in-place ordinance was first announced.
The sudden, unexpected change in March of 2020 forced schools to shift gears quickly and brought to light disparities in digital access. On top of this, many families in Marin City have experienced a higher per capita rate of financial hardship because of Covid-19-related job loss and higher rates of the Covid-19 compared to the averages in other Marin communities. The issue is not an isolated one.
There is another similar campaign in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood and the County has coordinated a larger effort called Digital Marin to help bridge the digital divide in local communities most impacted. Here are some more numbers on the upcoming project.
- 2 years of internet
- 300 households granted WiFi
- 500 schoolchildren in Marin City
- $150,000 donation from MCF
How to help:
Consider supporting one of these local nonprofits that urgently need support during the pandemic.
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Kasia Pawlowska loves words. A native of Poland, Kasia moved to the States when she was seven. The San Francisco State University creative writing graduate went on to write for publications like the San Francisco Bay Guardian and KQED Arts among others prior to joining the Marin Magazine staff. Topics Kasia has covered include travel, trends, mushroom hunting, an award-winning series on social media addiction and loads of other random things. When she’s not busy blogging or researching and writing articles, she’s either at home writing postcards and reading or going to shows. Recently, Kasia has been trying to branch out and diversify, ie: use different emojis. Her quest for the perfect chip is never-ending.
