Author Archives: equalaccesssantacruz

By Peggy Dolgenos and Susan True An internet service provider, a school district, and a community foundation walked into a zoom room… What sounds like the beginning of a boring COVID-era joke is actually the true story of an extraordinary cross-sector partnership of industry, philanthropy, and education that has brought internet access to hundreds ofContinue reading “Connections Made: Equal Access Santa Cruz County Report to the Community”

For Farm Discovery – a nonprofit that connects our community’s youth to a deeper understanding of agriculture, food, and the environment–2020 was set to be their biggest season yet. They expected to have 3,000 kids at their Live Earth Farm in Pajaro Valley that year between school field trips and their youth camp programs where kidsContinue reading “Farm Discovery & Cruzio: Bringing Internet Learning to a Farm Setting”

Cruzio was founded by people from Santa Cruz, and our staff is hired and trained right here, too. That makes Equal Access Santa Cruz a project of neighbors helping neighbors. We’ve been building where the need is great Our team just spent several weeks setting up connections for migrant labor housing communities east of Watsonville.Continue reading “Our Local Employees are Creating Equal Access”

BYLIZA MONROY When distance learning began at the outset of the pandemic, former farmworker Aracely Fernandez, a resident of the Buena Vista Migrant Center in Watsonville, had no reliable internet access. Her fifth grade son, a student in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, would need it to continue attending public school. Continue reading on GoodContinue reading “Good Times – How Equal Access Santa Cruz County is Bridging the Digital Divide”

Equal Access Santa Cruz County Update Equal Access Santa Cruz County has a simple goal: bridge the digital divide and bring true high-speed broadband to every family in the Santa Cruz community, regardless of income level. This project is spearheaded by Cruzio Internet, working with Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County OfficeContinue reading “Santa Cruz Works – Closing the Digital Divide in Santa Cruz County”

With the help of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County we’ve been able to help students get internet access while schooling from home. The need is still great, but the progress we’ve made so far is helping students participate in their classes again.

There is good news among the ruins of 2020. For Cruzio, it’s that we’ve brought nearly 100 low-income families online, helping kids with online learning and seniors stay connected. And we expect to connect hundreds more in the near future. Our upcoming project is the Buena Vista Migrant Center — till now they’ve had no broadband. AboutContinue reading “From Cruzio’s CEO: First the Good News”

By NICK IBARRA The first time he tried to restore reliable internet to the farmworker housing where he was raised in Watsonville, Juan Morales-Rocha ran into a dead end. “I was calling people, trying to connect the dots — like, who would be the right person to call?” he said. “No results, basically, because IContinue reading “Lookout Santa Cruz – 21 for ‘21: For Juan Morales-Rocha, bridging the digital divide was personal”

Equal Access Santa Cruz County increases opportunity and access to education through internet connection, has met the project’s first financial goal but the need is still great The success of students in the distance learning model depends on access to reliable internet service. Two months ago, Cruzio Internet and Community Foundation Santa Cruz County launchedContinue reading “Santa Cruz Tech Beat – Rotary Club of Watsonville and Driscoll’s are Closing the Digital Divide: PVUSD Kids Get Connected”

By FRENY COOPER Broadband connectivity is absolutely essential. The COVID-19 pandemic makes that fact clear. When the photo of two girls using WiFi on the sidewalk outside a Taco Bell in Salinas in August went viral, our region’s digital divide was laid bare to the world as never before. But it isn’t new. Our gapsContinue reading “Monterey Herald – Closing the Digital Gap Will Take Persistence”