Access Receivables Management and Staff Help to Bridge the Digital Divide in Baltimore by Providing Free Computing Devices and Internet Access to Students in Underserved Communities
Hunt Valley, Maryland: Access Receivables Management, a commercial collection agency serving the technology, communications, healthcare, and government sectors, announced today its support for two organizations in Baltimore working to establish high-speed internet access and provide free computers, monitors and training to adult learners in Baltimore’s underserved communities.
Access Receivables Management’s initial donation of 13 computers and 13 new computer monitors to Byte Back will help their students get connected at home and gain tech skills. Byte Back’s adult learners will use the equipment to get on a path to living-wage careers in IT and administrative industries in Baltimore. Access Receivables Management is pledging ongoing support for Byte Back to help increase digital equity for adult learners who have a passion to thrive in the digital economy. Byte Back estimates 35% of students in Baltimore do not have a device or Internet access in their home.
A donation of $5,000 from Access Receivables Management employees to DigiBmore in Baltimore, enables DigiBmore to purchase Chromebook devices for K-12 students in Baltimore City who need access to computers and the Internet to continue their education online at home while schools are closed. At the onset of the stay-at-home order, DigiBmore estimated 20,000 laptops were needed by underserved students K-12 in Baltimore to participate in online classes during the day. DigiBmore has been fundraising and purchasing devices during the shutdown to help bridge the digital divide in Baltimore and give school-aged students the tools they need to continue their education.
“Access Receivables Management has many associates that live and work remotely at this time in the City of Baltimore. We feel that education is the key to success in any endeavor and are committed to these two fine organizations to help support this mission in our expanded community,” says Tom Gillespie, president at Access Receivables Management. “This is our first donation, but we are creating a partnership to also help them moving forward.”
“Ed Mullin, co-founder of DigiBmore and executive director at the Baltimore Robotics Center, reached out to us about Byte Back’s adult students who need computer devices to continue their training when the stay-at-home order started. Ed introduced us to Tom Gillespie regarding Access Receivable Management’s desire to give back to the community and support our mission on a quarterly basis,” says Chrissie Powell, site director at Byte Back, Inc.’s Baltimore location. “Now more Byte Back students are able to learn from the safety of their home during this pandemic. Tom provided a solution, not just a temporary fix for our students,” said Chrissie Powell, Byte Back Baltimore site director. “Byte Back students were excited to receive the computers donated by Access Receivables Management. If Byte Back can motivate the adult learners in a family, they can also motivate the K-12 children in the home to achieve a living wage career path in IT and computer technology,” Powell said. Byte Back is looking forward to establishing an ongoing partnership to receive quarterly donations from Access Receivable Management.
“The Digital Divide was always there between many of Baltimore’s students and access to technology. The Pandemic just showed in high contrast the importance of connectivity and technology to academic success,” says Ed Mullin, co-founder of DigiBmore and executive director of Baltimore Robotics Center. “Hopefully, this crisis will help create a permanent solution to a very solvable problem.”
About Access Receivables Management: Access Receivables Management is a nationally-licensed, woman-owned receivables management and commercial collection company specializing in first-party early-stage and third-party collection programs for the commercial lines insurance, general commercial, B2B, government, healthcare, higher education, logistics/transportation, tech and telecommunications industries.
About Byte Back: Byte Back provides a pathway of inclusive tech training that leads to living-wage careers. As a leader in digital inclusion since 1997, Byte Back has helped hundreds of graduates launch living-wage career that use technology. In 2019, graduates who were hired started earning $23,463 more per year than before courses. Byte Back is headquartered in Washington, DC and launched its Baltimore site in 2019.
About DigiBmore: DigiBmore is comprised of a group of dedicated technology leaders in Baltimore who solicit corporations and individuals for used laptops, notebooks, and tablets that will be refurbished, wiped clean, and delivered to students in underserved areas of Baltimore who are out of school because of the coronavirus pandemic. To learn more and donate computer equipment and funding to this effort, go to http://baltimoreroboticscenter.com/wp/laptop-donations/
Access Receivables check and computer donation photographed by Maryland based Commercial photographer Robin Sommer of MidAtlantic Photographic LLC
Owners and executives from Access Receivables, Byte Back and DigiBmore during check and computer donation photographed by Maryland based Commercial photographer Robin Sommer of MidAtlantic Photographic LLC
Access Receivables computer donation photographed by Maryland based Commercial photographer Robin Sommer of MidAtlantic Photographic LLC
Access Receivables computer donation photographed by Maryland based Commercial photographer Robin Sommer of MidAtlantic Photographic LLC
Access Receivables Staff by Maryland based Commercial photographer Robin Sommer of MidAtlantic Photographic LLC