A North Bay woman is working to bring internet access to low income families.
The project is spearheaded by Mary Visher, founder of the grassroots education organization EduAct.
Visher, who lives in Sea Ranch along the Sonoma Coast, discovered many low income families in the area had little to no internet access, with children expected to attend school from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The socioeconomic status of the families that send their children to our local schools is very low. There’s a lot of rural poverty which is a big challenge," she said. "When it comes to internet access, we have very few internet providers."
Visher then pulled together a coalition to reach underserved members of the community.
“We calculated that approximately 100 families lack adequate internet and couldn’t afford internet. Of those 100, to date, we have managed to connect 90 of those households with adequate internet,” she said.
The project so far has helped households from Annapolis to Manchester. They not only cover installation, but also handle the first three months of fees and offer other financial assistance.
“It was a thing that needed to happen and the whole community pulled together to make it happen,” Visher said.
So far, they’ve collected about $27,000 dollars through private donations.
If you know someone who is working to keep us safe during the coronavirus pandemic and would like to nominate them as a KCBS Radio Difference Maker, email differencemakers@kcbsradio.com.
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