With the help of a Silicon Valley tech employer, local underserved children have improved access to the latest digital tools at the Boys & Girls Club of Morgan Hill.
On Aug. 24, the local club celebrated a donation of $100,000 from ServiceNow that funded a new state-of-the-art technology room at the youth center located at 17666 Crest Ave. The celebration featured a ribbon cutting and gathering of community members.
“ServiceNow is committed to helping close the digital divide,” said Chris Rogers, Head of DEI for Engineers at ServiceNow. “One way we can have an impact is to focus on creating new opportunities for our youth. We are excited to partner with the Boys & Girls Club in Morgan Hill in creating a safe place for children with free access to technology. With 98% of youth served at the club from lower-income families, this is an incredibly important investment to support them on their learning journey.”
The new tech center includes high-powered laptop computers, televisions and a 3D printer, allowing club members to engage in a range of learning activities.
“The new space brings together the positive environment of the Club and innovative technology to promote education and key technical skill development in youth,” says a press release from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley. “The brand-new ServiceNow technology lab will be utilized to further help pursue the objective of building and inspiring future leaders in technology.”
The BGCSV offers daily homework assistance, academic goal-setting and life skills training as well as gang prevention and early intervention, financial planning, nutrition and technology skills building.
At the Aug. 24 ribbon cutting, local political representatives joined chamber officials, club leadership and ServiceNow executives in sharing their enthusiasm for the Morgan Hill club and new technology lab. Children who attend club programs were there to share their passions and creativity with live painting, chess games and a Lego robotics demonstration.
Steve Tate serves on the board of directors for BGCSV. He was the mayor of Morgan Hill when the BGCSV took over the former El Toro Youth Center, whose previous nonprofit operator faced financial challenges in 2014. He said the new tech lab funded by ServiceNow’s donation offers a more comfortable space for club members to work on technological endeavors.
“The programming is not going to change, but we’re going to reach a lot more kids because of the environment they have with the addition of that space,” Tate said.
One of BGCSV’s ongoing goals is to try to close the opportunity gap to bring improved economic, political and social equality to lower-income, at-risk youth and their communities in the Bay Area, says the press release.
“It is a huge honor for us to have this amazing innovation economy employer, ServiceNow, here to partner with us at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley and the city of Morgan Hill to celebrate the grand opening of our technology lab,” said Steve Wymer, BGCSV President & CEO. “This is an amazing opportunity for our tech sector, our municipal elected officials who are here to support us, and the Club to collaborate together to make our community better. On behalf of hundreds of kids in Morgan Hill who will now have access to a state-of-the-art technology room, we extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the wonderful team at ServiceNow. With this generous support, they are truly playing a critical role in youth achieving their full potential. We’re all just incredibly grateful, and look forward to serving kids with this technology for years to come.”
BGCSV has also opened youth clubs at Morgan Hill apartment complexes Park Place and Jasmine Square.
