FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Shirley Stineman 216.999.4242 sstineman@cleveland.com
NORTHEAST OHIO MEDIA GROUP LAUNCHES $250K INITIATIVE IN SUPPORT OF DIGITAL LITERACY
Cleveland, OH – October 25, 2013 - Andrea Hogben, President of the Northeast Ohio Media Group (NEOMG), announced today that the company will provide $250,000 in funding to the region to support digital education and access to technology through its “Links to Digital Literacy” initiative. This program engages people of all ages and economic levels with essential digital skills through grants, volunteerism and advocacy.
The Northeast Ohio Media Group has provided a total of $100,000 for the first phase of this initiative to the Cleveland Public Library and Cuyahoga County Public Library systems to fund additional technology within select branches and bookmobiles that service senior centers. The partnership also includes public digital literacy workshops and promotional support to communicate this outreach in the community.
"We look forward to a long partnership with NEOMG as we work together to reach into the city's neighborhoods to bring access to and training in mobile devices to those who need it most and otherwise wouldn't have access to these items. Many library patrons are at a loss with current mobile devices because their exposure to the items has been limited or non-existent. This grant from NEOMG is helping to bridge this digital divide in the city," said Felton Thomas, Director and CEO of the Cleveland Public Library.
“Partnering with NEOMG is a great opportunity to ensure our customers are informed and engaged with cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer e-edition and building critical digital literacy skills,” commented Sari Feldman, Executive Director of the Cuyahoga County Public Library.
The Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Plain Dealer Publishing Co. have also developed an employee volunteerism program for 2014 that encourages employees to volunteer up to 20 hours of paid company time per year at organizations focused on boosting digital literacy. After the completion of 20 hours of service, each employee will earn a $500 grant for a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization of his/her choice.
“The ‘Links to Digital Literacy’ initiative is just the beginning of a continuing effort by the Northeast Ohio Media Group to help people of all ages stay current in today’s increasingly digital world," said Hogben. "We are pleased to collaborate with both library systems and look forward to developing future partnerships within our community. We hope to make an immediate impact and are excited to participate in creating a more digitally inclusive Northeast Ohio."
About Northeast Ohio Media Group The Northeast Ohio Media Group is a digitally focused media company that launched in early August. It operates cleveland.com and the Sun News and is responsible for all multimedia ad sales and marketing for The Plain Dealer, Sun News and cleveland.com. It also provides content to The Plain Dealer, cleveland.com and Sun News. Together with the Plain Dealer Publishing Co., they are the #1 source of news and information in Northeast Ohio, serving over 1.3 million readers in print and online.
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