Pictured: Trained Digital Navigators provided by The Patterson Foundation will connect individuals and families with opportunities to obtain low-cost Internet, devices, and training and support Provided photo/The Patterson Foundation.

On Monday, March 11, The Patterson Foundation will present a Digital Access Enrollment Event, hosted by Goodwill Manasota. This event takes place at Goodwill’s Selby/Newtown Community Resource Center (1781 Dr. Martin Luther King Way, Sarasota) between 1-4 p.m. A team of Trained Digital Navigators provided by The Patterson Foundation will assist in connecting families and individuals with opportunities to obtain digital connectivity, devices, skills, and support. One-on-one digital navigation assistance will be provided during the March 11 event. Once an appointment is completed, participants will receive $50 gift cards and one-year membership subscriptions to the Sarasota Technology User Group for further digital skills training. An ever-widening gap exists between individuals and families connected with the three essential elements of digital access and those who are not. The three essential elements of digital access are connectivity (affordable, reliable, high-speed internet), devices, and digital skills training and support. The Patterson Foundation, a fully endowed charitable entity located in Sarasota, Fla., created the Digital Navigator Program as part of its Digital Access for All initiative. The purpose of this program is to train local nonprofits on ways to connect asset-limited families and individuals with opportunities to obtain digital connectivity, devices, skills, and support. “It has become critical for community members not only to have access to the internet and related devices but also that they know how to use them,” said Goodwill Manasota vice president Margie Genter. “The internet is essential in providing access to job opportunities, education, health care, social services, and more. We are pleased to partner with The Patterson Foundation in an effort to decrease the digital divide and increase equitable access to the digital world.” To enroll for the March 11 event, visit bit.ly/digitalaccessenrollmentMarch11. Email Kiarra Louis at klouis@thepattersonfoundation.org with any questions. For more about Goodwill, visit experiencegoodwill.org or call 941-355-2721.

Pictured: Trained Digital Navigators provided by The Patterson Foundation will connect individuals and families with opportunities to obtain low-cost Internet, devices, and training and support Provided photo/The Patterson Foundation.