Free Computer and Training

In partnership with the William Wells Brown Community Center, the Kentucky Housing Corporation, Lexington Housing Authority and Lexmark International, ConnectKentucky will launch a new technology training program on Tuesday aimed at enhancing the lives of those living in the 292 Hope VI Apartments in downtown Lexington. Residents of the Hope VI apartments will be able to sign up for six hours of computer lessons, at the end of which they will be given a desk-top computer, a printer and subsidized broadband access for six months, Gate said. The targeted area is near William Wells Brown, and the targeted population is families and seniors. The goal is to give East End residents a chance to compete in a global economy by placing a crucial piece of the puzzle in their hands. ConnectKentucky began as a public-private partnership in 2004 to fill gaps in broadband coverage across the state and to teach residents how to use computers.Much of its initial work was done in Eastern Kentucky and in rural areas. Inmates at Blackburn Correctional Facility refurbished state computers which were given to students in those areas. Priority will be given to families with schoolchildren and to seniors. No one who has participated in a similar program with the Lexington Fayette County Urban League will be accepted. When: 6 p.m., Tuesday March 20 Where: William Wells Brown Community Center, 548 East Sixth Street. Information: Heather Gate, (270) 799-1649, or Jill Wilson, director of the William Wells Brown Community Center, (859) 389-6678. Source: www.kentucky.com