NS8 Donates $25,000 to help Launch The Mayor’s “Las Vegas Connected” Initiative
NS8, a Las Vegas-based software company that protects businesses from online fraud, has donated $25,000 to The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE. The monies are earmarked to provide approximately 75 low-income valley families with access to in-home high-speed internet, computer training and tablet computers pre-loaded with apps for job training, resume writing and Clark County School District resources and more – to benefit all family members (Pictured: Jim Holborow, NS8 VP Marketing; Mayor Carolyn Goodman, Adam Rogas, CEO NS8).
NS8’s donation follows a July 11 announcement that The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE and NS8 have partnered to help launch and support Las Vegas Connected. The new initiative is dedicated to educating the community on the digital divide that exists in Las Vegas and to identify opportunities for supporting programs that bridge that divide.
Mayor Carolyn Goodman’s “Las Vegas Connected” initiative
The donated funds will be used in support of The Mayor’s Fund’s ConnectHomeUSA program, a nationwide endeavor to improve connectivity and computer literacy for families and seniors residing in public housing. For only $350, the community can provide one family with high-speed internet access, computer training and a tablet for family use.
According to the U.S. Census, it is estimated one in five households in Clark County do not have access to the internet. In Clark County, more than 40 percent of households with less than $20,000 in annual income do not have an internet subscription.
“In the digital and connected world in which we live, learn and earn, being on the wrong side of the digital divide is a significant barrier to a quality education, gainful employment and self-sufficiency,” said Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman. “Lack of connectivity marginalizes those whose lives can literally be transformed by improved access to technology.”
Priority projects for The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE Las Vegas Connected initiative include intensifying the reach of ConnectHomeUSA to equip a total of 2,000 families in public housing with a tablet computer, high speed internet and computer training, and the launch of a Workforce Innovation Training Center to provide high-tech job training and placement services aligned to the growing high-tech construction industry in Las Vegas.
“The Mayor’s Fund is a much-needed public-private partnership that provides donors with an avenue to support key initiatives that matter most to them,” said Adam Rogas, CEO, NS8. “It’s a straightforward way to advance programs that have the greatest probability to enhance the quality of life for our city’s most vulnerable residents. NS8 is extremely pleased to make this donation to increase connectivity for Las Vegans who need it most.”
According to Dr. Lisa Morris Hibbler, city of Las Vegas Chief Community Services Officer who oversees the Mayor’s Fund, this public-private partnership relies on private sector support to sustain its programs. For this initiative, the Fund is seeking $595,000 in private support for ConnectHomeUSA to reach its full potential of providing technology to 2,000 homes that currently lack access. An additional $1,300,000 is needed to complete the construction and to equip a planned Workforce Innovation Training center. “Our partnership with the philanthropic communities is critical to any success we have going forward,” Morris Hibbler said.
The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE provides a vehicle for companies and individuals in the private sector to support key city initiatives. The Fund was established in September 2018 to target specific community needs in the areas of Livability, Innovation, Future and Education (LIFE). To date, The Mayor’s Fund has received more than $700,000 from the private sector and is seeking donations to meet its first-year goal of $1 million. To learn more about the Mayor’s Fund or make a donation, visit MayorsFundLV.org.