AT&T Awards $25,000 Grant to Pace Jacksonville to Help Narrow the Digital Divide as Girls Return Back to School

Pace Jacksonville received a $25,000 grant from AT&T to help narrow the digital divide and provide girls with equitable opportunities to learn and grow. By offering a variety of academic courses, counseling, life-skills training, career preparation and more for middle and high school aged girls at no cost, Pace focuses on providing wrap-around support to help girls recover from trauma and succeed in school and beyond.   

“Ripple effects of the pandemic including economic troubles and isolation are compounding issues that our girls continue to struggle with while navigating their social lives and embarking on a new school year,” shared Chantell Miles, Executive Director of Pace Jacksonville. “This generous contribution from AT&T will help build a pathway for our girls to embrace technology – opening new doors for creativity, exploration, and growth.”   

Since its founding in 1985, Pace Jacksonville has served over 3,000 girls throughout Duval County. For many girls, Pace is a safe space where they know they will be cared for and their needs will be met. Our model aims to ensure that things like technology, transportation and finances do not become a barrier to providing the holistic services that girls need.   

The grant directly provides Comp TIA A+ training and certification for up to 50 Pace Jacksonville girls. The contribution is a piece of AT&T’s commitment to allocate $2 billion to help bridge the digital divide and remove barriers to affordability, access, and adoption of tech.   

In presenting the donation, Kevin Craig, Regional Director of External Affairs at AT&T said, “Under-resourced neighborhoods have been hit particularly hard from the pandemic. We are proud to support Pace Jacksonville in its commitment to provide equitable opportunities to all girls.”