Bystander donates iPads to William Wells Brown Elementary

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – William Wells Brown Elementary received a technology windfall when an interested bystander donated 18 iPads valued at about $5,000. The businessman, who prefers to remain anonymous, saw a group of students and mentors on a December 8 field trip to the Apple Store in Fayette Mall and approached family/community liaison Butch Emerson about helping. “He took out his credit card and gave it to the store manager, and that was it,” Emerson recalled.

The iPads, which Apple employees delivered this week, will be used primarily by the 18 participants in the School Plus Program run by Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass. Other first- and second-graders will also use the devices in class. The goal is to help students progress in reading and math skills, moving them toward proficiency on state assessments.

“Technology is such an ample part of a child’s life, and now they get to take these devices into their mentor hour. It’s another tool in a mentor’s pocket,” said Phoebe Crum, who manages the School Plus Program at William Wells Brown.

The mentors, or “Bigs” as the children call them, are community volunteers who set aside an hour each week to work one-on-one with their assigned students. Forty-five minutes is devoted to academics, and the rest to social interaction. “It’s all about meeting the child’s needs, and it’s about the relationships they develop,” Crum said.

To find out more or to volunteer, call (859) 231-8181.