I'm thankful this month that the political signs are not littering the gorgeous scenery of Chatham. The trees are doing their best to entertain us, and it's not so cold yet. Sorry for being lazy in delaying the publication of this report, but we had a few slow months. I blame summer. Now, we have some good news to share!
Chatham Tech Talk
We will be having a Video Game Night at HAVOC on November 21. From 4-6 pm, NC Esports will be having a hands-on exploration of Unreal Engine, and from 6-8 pm, we will play some video games together.
We also formed a small group, Experienced Innovators in Fearrington, offering help to entrepreneurs and small businesses. We can offer advice and a sounding board for ideas. Let us know if you know anyone who would like some help or just a chat. We would be happy to advise on topics such as finance, accounting, project analysis, or that spreadsheet you can’t get to work right—you can ask us anything. We can get our network to try to find you some answers or at least some opinions. Let me know if you are interested in providing help or to get help. – warings@gmail.com
One of the first groups we will try to help is WEBB-Squared, help for Black and Brown entrepreneurs, a group run by Stephanie Terry. We drafted a plan for their mentoring program and hope to be further involved.
Digital Inclusion
Chatham Digital Inclusion Plan
After absorbing public comments, the Chatham Digital Inclusion Plan is in its final draft. It will go to the county Board of Commissioners for approval soon. It’s been a long process.
Digital Champion Grant
The Digital Champion Grant went to the Central Pines Regional Council, which will split it for Durham and Chatham, with most of the work done by Kramden Institute. Chatham will be able to train about 500 people in 4-hour sessions, mainly basic computer usage and other sessions geared toward job-seekers. We might be able to help people after they go through those programs.
Public WiFi
You may recall that we tried to get a grant to install public WiFi in some of the underserved areas around Siler City, but we were unsuccessful. Undeterred, we have been talking with the Mayor of Siler City about installing a public WiFi system for the downtown area. The reaction has been very positive, and we presented to the Town Board of Commissioners meeting on November 18 at 6:30pm where they gave their permission to proceed.
Don Kallgren, Jesse Bradley, and I have done some testing and found that one or two stations are all that is required for the central downtown area on North and South Chatham, so the price ought to be very reasonable. Hopefully, this will help people in the area without internet access and increase foot traffic in downtown.
Hotspots for School Children
Working through Communities in Schools, we provided two hotspots to children at George Horton Middle School over the past month. A hotspot uses cellular data service and turns it into a WiFi signal that a child’s school Chromebook can access. It is important to support kids who do not have access to the internet. We don’t want them to fall behind in their education simply because they can’t do the homework or makeup work from the school day. Having internet access also means parents can check on their children’s progress. We bought a box of these hotspots over the summer. Let me know if you know of any children with this problem. Also, if you would like to help, your donations to Innovate Chatham can help us buy another box of hotspots.
STEM Education
Science and Engineering Fairs
Contact Sherri Homan shoman@chatham.k12.nc.us if you would like to help judge the district Science and Engineering Fair. It will be on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, in the library at Jordan Matthews High School in Siler City.
STEM Workshops
In October, Erin Denniston completed a series of free STEM workshops for kids in 2nd-5th grades at the Wrenn Library in Siler City. The series was a success, and she is looking to host another three-session series starting in January. Erin will work with Tych and CISCC to promote the opportunity in Siler City across schools and the CIS Chatham network of students and families.
Volunteer Opportunities
We are always interested in having additional volunteers. In most cases, we prioritize opportunities based on volunteer interest. So, let me know if you would like to help with any of these things, or you can suggest possibilities for us to help:
- We would like to have some events to teach or demonstrate skills. Skills could be practical or artful. Please let me know if you have ideas about what you want to learn or if you know someone who might want to teach or demonstrate.
- Technical topic presentation – we need topic and presenter suggestions for Tech Talk
- Instructor’s aides for basic computer classes
- Tech Career Fairs – we always need a list of people to describe and discuss their tech careers at various high schools.
- Science Fairs Judges – needed for fall and spring to judge science and engineering projects while encouraging kids
- Congressional App Challenge – we would like to help middle and high schoolers build their simple software app to submit for recognition in a contest.
- Search engine optimization help, and social media help
Please let me know, and we can chat further about your interests.
You are very welcome to share this newsletter with anyone you like.
If you enjoy being part of the Innovate Chatham community, please consider submitting an annual membership contribution of $25 for 2024.
Not a member? If you like our work at Innovate Chatham, please consider joining us as a paid member, which helps us cover the expenses of running a nonprofit.
Burney Waring
Innovate Chatham President
warings@gmail.com
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