RXR Donations to Help Bridge Digital Divide 

http://thebcw.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/girl-with-computer.jpg

Kudos to BCW member RXR Realty which this week announced a $73,900 donation to help address the resource gap that low-income students have faced in access to remote learning. The Westchester Library System and the STEM Alliance of Larchmont-Mamaroneck, as partners, will receive $43,900 to provide computers to families in need. In addition, the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle will receive $30,000 to operate virtual learning centers for an estimated 300 children.

RXR’s funding will support students who lack the resources, support, digital knowledge and access to technology necessary for remote learning and completing academic assignments, needs that have grown exponentially with the move to virtual schooling due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Funding for the Westchester Library System and the STEM Alliance will be used to provide 100 computers for 62 families who do not own personal computers. The computers were previously owned by RXR and will be donated and refurbished; grant money will go toward buying screens, keyboards, webcams and speakers for them.

The Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle will us their funding to help keep the organization’s existing virtual learning centers in operation and available for free or at a low cost to the families who utilize them. The centers offer technological resources, academic support, free or reduced-price lunch and safe social interaction.

“We heartily commend RXR Realty for their generous donations that will help these important organizations address the resource gap that many low-income students face in gaining access to remote learning during the pandemic,” said BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon.

According to the STEM Alliance of Larchmont-Mamaroneck, which is a BCW member, 30,000 households in Westchester do not have a computer and 51,000 have no available internet connection.  As a result, about 40% of children in low-income families may have to complete homework on a cellphone or use public Wi-Fi, while over a third may not be able to complete it at all.

RXR’s donations are part of a relief program that the company has implemented in New Rochelle, where it serves as the master developer for the downtown area. The RXR COVID Relief Fund has provided nearly $1 million toward New Rochelle nonprofits, small businesses and city housing programs.