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When Your Address Determines Your Access
The June meeting of the KC Coalition for Digital Inclusion brought together four voices from the region’s affordable housing and digital equity sectors for a rich conversation on how housing stability and internet access shape each other. Health Forward Foundation’s Adriana Pecina and John Tramel, LISC Greater Kansas City Executive Director Geoff Jolly, Hispanic Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) Executive Director Pedro Zamora, and Phoenix Family Program Manager Jessica Welch joined KC Digital Drive Digital Inclusion Program Manager Leslie Scott to explore what it means to live at the intersection of two of Kansas City’s most persistent inequities.
How Researchers Address the Digital Divide Through Social Drivers of Health
In recognition of May as “Research Month”, Children’s Mercy Research Institute’s division of Health Services and Outcomes Research organized several “Lunch and Learn” sessions to highlight important topics for their researchers. The final session focused on the challenge of representative studies for improving both for quality and reach. KC Digital Drive worked with the CMRI team to provide further context for the session’s presentation, but also to help them create a version of Digital Drive’s Digital Divide Simulation (DDS) so that the researchers could see first-hand the circumstances which touch many of their patients and even more families beyond.
A Laptop Means Dignity: Empire Dreams and KC Public Library Close a Device Gap
Not everyone building a business has a laptop. For Empire Dreams entrepreneurs, that gap was a wall. A connection through KC Digital Drive brought them to KC Public Library’s Chromebook lending program. Three weeks later, program participants weren’t pitching on phones anymore. They were building decks, creating marketing plans, and feeling official.
Federal Tech Policy and DC Fly-ins
After visiting DC regularly for a number of years for conferences or other programs, it struck me that it might be worthwhile to meet with our federal legislators. I didn’t have an ask or an agenda, and KC Digital Drive does not have a policy portfolio per se. But we do engage with several federal […]
A New Era for Short-term Workforce Funding in Kansas City: KC Coalition for Digital Inclusion Recap
At the KC Coalition for Digital Inclusion May Meeting, panelists from Great Jobs KC, Johnson County Community College, and the Full Employment Council weigh in on Workforce Pell’s potential for Kansas City.
Workforce Resources Delivered to your Door: Phoenix Family and MERS Goodwill Partner Spotlight
For many KC families, getting to workforce resources is the first obstacle. Phoenix Family and MERS Goodwill are removing that barrier by bringing Goodwill’s Mobile Workforce Unit directly into Phoenix Family’s multifamily communities, meeting residents where they already are and on their schedule.
Libraries Lead the Way in Digital Inclusion: April Coalition Meeting Recap
This month’s Kansas City Coalition meeting celebrated the vital role that libraries play in digital inclusion, showcasing partnerships that enhance digital access and skills training. Highlights include the Kansas City libraries’ diverse initiatives, Scholar Smarts’ dynamic after-school programs, and an AT&T device distribution opportunity requiring collaborative coordination. Upcoming activities and innovative courses in digital and financial literacy for communities highlight the combined efforts in forwarding digital inclusion in Kansas City.
Empowering College Students Through Device Access
Devices are essential to everyday life, especially for students earning a degree. Donnelly College, an affordable and accessible Catholic college based in Kansas City, KS, serves students who are often the first in their families to pursue higher education, many on financial aid and Pell Grants. For these students, access to a personal device isn’t a given. Through the DLX Device Access Program in Kansas, Donnelly is making sure their students have the technology, connectivity, and support they need to succeed in school and beyond.
National Insights, Local Impact: Highlights from the March Coalition for Digital Inclusion Meeting
The March 2026 meeting of the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion a panel of local attendees of the Net Inclusion conference who reported back on their takeaways from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s annual event, such as emerging trends in digital health, device strategy, and rural resources. The session also featured informative updates on local device recycling milestones from PCs for People and expanded youth coding cohorts from WeCode KC.
From Youth Robotics to Senior Digital Literacy and Free IT Careers: Organizations Expand Access Across Kansas City
The final third Friday KC Coalition for Digital Inclusion meeting brought together a full room of organizations tackling the digital divide from every angle — from high schoolers in STEM in Kansas City, Missouri, to seniors navigating doctor’s portals in Kansas City, Kansas to adults breaking into tech careers at zero cost. Beginning in March, coalition meetings will shift back to once a month on the first Friday.