4.30 APS Receives $1.3 Million Donation for Technology from Intercontinental Exchange

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Office of Communications and Public Engagement
130 Trinity Avenue SW | Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Ian Smith, Executive Director
404-802-2855, office
404-603-6934, cell
ian.smith@atlanta.k12.ga.us

Seth Coleman, Media Relations Manager
404-802-2891, office
404-406-5570, cell
seth.coleman@atlanta.k12.ga.us  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2020 

Atlanta Public Schools Receives $1.3 Million Donation for Technology from Intercontinental Exchange
Gift from the Atlanta-based company will provide a major boost to the Get Our Kids Connected initiative launched by Comcast

(ATLANTA) Atlanta Public Schools (APS) has received a significant donation from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) to help the District and Comcast bridge the digital divide for students and their families.

The 20-year old, Atlanta-based firm that specializes in building, operating and advancing global markets through information, technology and expertise, has donated $1.3 million to the Get Our Kids Connected campaign – a partnership between APS and the Comcast Internet Essentials program, launched earlier this month. The goal of the initiative is to solicit financial support from individuals and organizations to sponsor low–income students and their families with high-speed internet service and computers for their personal ownership.

For $300, contributors can give the gift of connectivity, which will provide students with a laptop and an internet connection for 14 months. Trinity HealthShare, a 501(c)(3) non-profit health care sharing ministry, was the first major donor with a $50,000 contribution to kick start the campaign, followed by generous donations from United Way and Atlanta Tech Village. Now, Intercontinental Exchange has answered the call to donate as well.

 

With the ICE gift, APS will be able to get closer to getting thousands of APS children connected at home and equipped for distance learning.

 

“In these extraordinary times, when we'd expect kids in our communities to be studying hard in their classrooms, we recognize that in so many cases the home is the classroom, and homes need high speed connectivity and equipment to thrive through distance learning,” said Brookly McLaughlin, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability for Intercontinental Exchange. “Atlanta is the home of Intercontinental Exchange, and we're honored to be able to play a small part in helping deserving students and their families get online to get the best education possible and make the most of the rest of the school year, and beyond."

“Words cannot express how excited we are to receive this extraordinarily generous gift from Intercontinental Exchange,” APS Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen said. “We are so grateful to Intercontinental Exchange for the donation, as well as Comcast, and dozens of other corporate and individual donors, for partnering with us on the Get Our Kids Connected campaign. Our corporate community time and again demonstrates dedication to helping APS provide a quality education for the children of our city.”

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About Atlanta Public Schools

Atlanta Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Georgia, serving approximately 52,000 students across 87 schools. The District is organized into nine K-12 clusters with 58 traditional schools, 18 charter schools, six partner schools, two citywide single-gender academies and three alternative programs. To learn more about Atlanta Public Schools, follow us on social media – Twitter (@apsupdate), Facebook (Atlanta Public Schools), and Instagram (apsupdate) – or visit us online at www.atlantapublicschools.us.