Bridging the digital divide, one family at a time.
For many of us, checking a child’s grades, sending an email, or filling out an online form is a routine part of daily life. But for many families in our community, reliable access to technology and the skills needed to navigate it are barriers that can make everyday tasks much more difficult.
At Angels & Sparrows, we believe that opportunity shouldn’t be limited by access. Through our partnership with the Lake Norman Happy Hour Rotary Club, we offer a series of digital literacy workshops designed to help adult participants build confidence with technology and gain practical skills they can use every day.
Led by Rotary member Eric Franzen, the workshops covered essential computer skills, including internet navigation, Microsoft Office programs, Google Docs, and other digital tools that have become increasingly necessary for work and education. To ensure every interested participant had the opportunity to attend, Eric and fellow Rotary members generously hosted four separate classes throughout the program.
More than 40 adult participants completed the workshops, but the learning didn’t stop when class ended.
Each participant received a personal laptop to take home, giving them the ability to continue practicing their new skills and access educational resources beyond the classroom. For many families, a smartphone has been their primary connection to the digital world. While phones can accomplish a lot, they often fall short when it comes to completing school forms, tracking student progress, creating documents, applying for jobs, or accessing online learning opportunities.
Parents are especially impacted by the growing role technology plays in education. Schools increasingly rely on online platforms to communicate with families, share assignments, track attendance, and provide academic updates. Yet many parents have never been given the opportunity to learn how to navigate these systems confidently.
By providing both technology training and laptops, this partnership helped remove a significant barrier for the families we serve. More importantly, it provided an opportunity for participants to become more connected to the resources available to them.
We are incredibly grateful to Eric and the Lake Norman Happy Hour Rotary Club for investing their time and resources in this initiative. Together, we are helping ensure that more families have the tools they need to learn and thrive in an increasingly digital world.
