It’s estimated that 20% of Cuyahoga County households have no access to the internet. This digital divide became more distinct during the pandemic when children needed to attend school virtually. Dominion Energy donated more than 400 computers to the local community in the past year after Jim Eck, Vice President and General Manager for Ohio and West Virginia, learned about the digital divide during a board meeting of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Eck connected with PCs for People Cleveland, a nonprofit that provides access to technology for low-income individuals, to determine how Dominion Energy could donate surplus computers.

PCs for People is located in six different states to help families in need access technology. The nonprofit also provides ongoing technical support, digital literacy training and a secure and responsible electronic waste service. In 2020, the organization served 211,000 people, distributed over 37,000 computers, connected 45,000 people to high-speed internet and recycled 2 million pounds of electronic waste.

Over the past year, Bob Nyman, Supervisor, IT Services Management worked with Daniel Valentin to establish a plan to donate unused computers. Nyman worked with IT departments across Dominion Energy’s footprint to secure 400 eligible computers to donate.

Each donated computer went through Dominion Energy’s third-party vendor to get them ready for use. Instead of being disposed of, they were shipped to PCs for People Cleveland. From there, the computers will be tested and sent out to families with K-12 students. This effort is part of the Cuyahoga County Rapid Response project launched in August 2020 to provide 10,000 computers and 5,000 hotspots to families in the Cuyahoga County area.

Dominion Energy Ohio is proud to show how Actions Speak Louder by giving back to our community.

To learn more about PCs for People or the Cleveland Digital Divide visit www.pcsforpeople.org.