FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2007 |
CONTACT: Linda Paris, 202-365-3343
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Alliance for Public Technology Announces Winners of “Broadband Changed My Life” Contest
First Place Goes to Single Mother of Four and Internet Trainer for Navajo Nation
WASHINGTON – The Alliance for Public Technology today announced the first winners of the Broadband Changed My LifeTM contest, an ongoing award program which recognizes four individuals who, through their testimonials, showed how high-speed Internet access can transform lives.
"A common theme in most of the 420 entries received was the importance of broadband," noted Joy Howell, campaign director of the Broadband Changed My LifeTM campaign. "Technically they could have just told us about their life changing experiences. It was as if they divided their lives into two halves: before broadband and after it. These stories demonstrate that broadband is influencing every aspect of our daily lives."
The first place winner will receive a prize of a $1,000 check during a Capitol Hill briefing on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-340. In conjunction with this announcement, APT will release its latest case study report on how broadband applications contribute significantly to the provision of better health care, greater education opportunity, independent living, economic development, and more vibrant and safer communities.
The inspiring winners are:
- Sorraine Hot, First Place Winner
In February 2007 Sacred Wind Communications Community Connect, a non-profit exclusively organized for the benefit of the Navajo people, started a free Internet training center for the Huerfano Chapter. Sorraine Hot became the trainer, responsible for introducing her community to computers and the Internet. After passing Hot's course, low income families earned a free, refurbished computer. Through this program, Hot helped school age children complete homework assignments and receive As for the first time. She assisted Elders with access to key health care information that otherwise would not be available to them. Hot watched adults and students successfully apply for jobs and college online. Most importantly, she saw her own children, who lived for three years with no telephone or Internet connection, reconnect with their father's family in St. Louis.
- Stephen Wooten, II, Second Place Winner
Throughout middle school, Stephen Wooten had dial up Internet access and no plans to attend college. He grew up in a family with "a 12-hour shift working father, a disabled mother and a sister who had two children by the age of 17." After he gained access to broadband in high school, his "mind literally became the child sponge that it once was." Wooten sat in his room day and night and just soaked up knowledge. Finally, he realized that he was a smart guy and needed to go on to college. The rest of his family thought it was preposterous, but today he is a student at Appalachian State University.
- B. Honse, Third Place Winner
In 2003 in Wichita, Kansas all three of Ms. Honse's sons were sent to Baghdad. Without broadband, it was weeks, and sometimes months, before mother and father heard from their sons in Iraq. With broadband access, each Saturday at 9:00 p.m. their oldest son, who is stationed in Baghdad for the second time, uses his computer and web camera to call home. Now both parents enjoy the "real comfort to see and hear" their son on a weekly basis from over 8,000 miles away.
- Diane Mettam, Fourth Place Winner
Diane Mettam lives in Bishop, California, which is such a remote part of the state that her home is three hours away from the nearest Wal-Mart. According to Mettam, a pastor with a physical disability, "broadband gave me wings." It brought the marketplace to her. For example, she was able to comparison shop for a power wheelchair. Since her insurance did not cover the cost of the wheelchair, the $3000 savings mattered. Additionally, Mettam wrote that "broadband helps me serve my community." She supports an AIDS orphan in Uganda and other charities worldwide. She also shares sermons, music and Bible study resources with pastors all over the world. And she keeps in touch with family members in Arizona, Louisiana, Illinois, Norway, Thailand and China.
The contest is the centerpiece of APT's Broadband Changed My LifeTM campaign, a nationwide initiative to raise awareness of the life enhancing benefits of broadband technologies and services. It includes a brown bag lunch series, a report with case studies, policy briefings and other educational outreach efforts.
The purpose of the contest was to highlight individuals willing to share their story about how broadband has made a profound difference in their lives. The two-month contest started on Aug. 13, 2007 and ended on Oct. 1, 2007. Individuals eligible to win were residents of the U.S., 18 years of age or older.
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About APT
The Alliance for Public Technology is a nonprofit membership organization based in Washington, D.C., which was founded in 1989 to foster public policies that ensure access to advanced telecommunications technologies for all Americans.
