DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — To tackle the issue known as the “digital divide,” several groups collaborated to distribute 100 laptops to students and families in the Danville region.

AT&T and Compudopt provided 1,500 refurbished laptops to regional groups across Illinois, with 100 of these specifically handed out to Danville students ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade. The recipients were pre-selected before the giveaway event.

Volunteers from Project Success were at United Way of Danville Area, Inc. at 4 p.m. on Monday, helping hand them out.

Angie Lazzell, CEO of the United Way of Danville Area, mentioned that Project Success played a significant role in supplying laptops to students impacted by the digital divide.

“Many families might lack the resources to afford a laptop, so this initiative supports their educational needs. We teamed up with Project Success to pinpoint these families, as they engage with students daily after school in District 118 and throughout the county,” Lazzell explained.

The distributed laptops come with a two-year warranty. Additionally, the students received lifetime access to Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint, and other essential applications for their studies.

This laptop donation is part of AT&T Illinois’ “Back to School Connectivity Month.” AT&T highlighted that according to U.S. Census Bureau data, millions across the country still lack vital devices, underscoring the ongoing digital divide issue.

Since 2021, AT&T has distributed more than 5,000 computers and devices to students and their families across Illinois