Delivering Connectivity To Low-income Communities….One Economy Turns 5.

One Economy may not be a household name yet. But in five short years, the organization already has become the most impactful technology-based nonprofit in the United States.

One Economy, whose mission is to maximize the potential of technology to help low-income people improve their lives and enter the economic mainstream, marked its five-year anniversary by introducing two annual awards at a gala celebration last night at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The awards were named after founding board members who played a significant role in shaping the organization.

The Lisa Y. Sullivan Horizons Award, named in memory of the late urban youth advocate, recognizes an outstanding young person who exemplifies the values of leadership, compassion, and commitment to social change. Accompanied by a $3,000 scholarship, the Award honors the next generation of leaders who have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of America’s underserved individuals and communities. Sullivan’s family was so moved by the award nominees’ stories that they funded a second scholarship, enabling One Economy to name two recipients this year:

” Juan Velasquez, Miami, Fla.
Juan is a 17 year-old graduating senior enrolled in the Magnet program at Miami Senior High School. Originally from Nicaragua, Juan has lived in Miami for seven years. He has emerged as a leader and advocate in his community. Juan is a graduate of One Economy’s Digital Connectors program and he continues to volunteer his time and expertise to help immigrant families succeed. Juan was recently selected to serve on the City of Miami’s Youth Council, where he and his peers will help develop a policy initiative to improve their community. Upon graduation in 2006, Juan plans to pursue a degree in graphic design.

” Tu-Ahn Vu, Washington, D.C.
Tu-Ahn is an 18 year-old former Vietnamese refugee who overcame extreme hardship to achieve academic success in the United States. She has dedicated many years to serving her community in Washington, DC as a volunteer, tutor, technology instructor, and student leader. Tu-Ahn understands that she has been fortunate to receive help from so many people, and as a result, she is committed to giving back and helping those less fortunate than she is. She is currently enrolled as a full-time freshman at Bryn Mawr College, where she is pursuing her goal of becoming a medical doctor.

The Jane Metcalfe Digital Opportunity Award, named in honor of the WIRED magazine co-founder, recognizes an outstanding individual, organization or company that is expanding access for those underserved by technology. This Award celebrates those who are using technology and the Internet to open the doors of opportunity for all; the first-ever recipient is:

” Shaun M. Belle, President and CEO, The Mount Hope Housing Company
Belle is actively involved in community revitalization and redevelopment in New York. In addition to his leadership of Mount Hope, a community development organization, Belle is Chairman for the Comprehensive Community Revitalization Program Inc. (CCRP Inc.), Board Treasurer for The Institute for Urban Family Health, Board Director of the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC), and is a Board Director of the Bronx Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Other professional affiliations include membership in The Association of Neighborhood Housing Developers (ANHD) and New York Society of Association Executives. Belle also has served as Chairman of the Bethex Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee and is a Principal of the Consortium of Management Consultants Inc.

“Five years ago, a group of committed social entrepreneurs began work in a basement in Washington, D.C., with a vision of utilizing technology to help facilitate the success of low-income people,” said Rey Ramsey, One Economy CEO. “We created One Economy to be a mechanism that would one day tip this country toward a new way of thinking about the poor, while also equipping the less fortunate with the tools they need for self-advancement.”

On a local, state, national and now international level, One Economy advocates for the integration of high-speed Internet access into affordable housing; consults on municipal WiFi projects; aggregates content for localized multilingual Beehives; and creates youth leaders through its Digital Connectors program. To date, One Economy has:

” Enabled high-speed Internet access to 200,000 individuals in 80,000 low-income homes across the United States through the Bring IT Home Campaign.
” Connected eight million people to vital information about money, jobs, health, school and family through its multilingual Beehive Web portal (www.thebeehive.org)
” Advanced 1,000 young Americans toward technology careers through its Digital Connectors program

In the United States and abroad, One Economy’s current initiatives include:

” Gulf Coast assistance. With support from Cisco, One Economy produced the Katrina Help Center (www.katrinahelpcenter.org), which connects low- and moderate-income people to vital information and services. In addition, Ramsey and the team have been tapped to help lead a technology-focused economic strategy for the battered Gulf Coast region.

” One Global Economy. One Economy is extending its work to international communities in an effort to bring the benefits of the Internet to underserved people around the world. Pilot programs currently are underway in the South Durbin Industrial Basin of South Africa and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (www.ogecorp.org).

Allstate was Lead Sponsor of One Economy’s anniversary celebration; additional sponsors included Citigroup, JPMorganChase, Verizon, and Patton Boggs.

One Economy Corporation is a national nonprofit organization that helps bring access to technology into affordable housing around the United States, and uses that technology to connect low-income people to information and tools that help them improve their lives. One Economy’s strategy is to bring technology into the home, provide online multilingual content through the Beehive website (www.thebeehive.org), and help people gain the comfort and training needed to use technology to raise their standard of living. Through its Bring IT Home campaign, One Economy has helped bring broadband into the homes of 200,000 low-income people. The organization has youth and on-the-ground programs in a dozen cities in the United States, as well as South Africa and the Middle East. For more information at http://www.one-economy.com