FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2002

NetDay Donates Additional Computers to Students in Rio Grande Valley

Mercedes, TX -- For the second consecutive year, NetDay will be donating computers to the Mercedes Independent School District (MISD) to support teaching and learning efforts. Using a $350,000 grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, NetDay will donate 186 desktop and 54 laptop computers to the Mercedes Early Childhood Center and the special education classrooms within MISD. Additional computers -- 150 desktops and 50 laptops -- will be given by NetDay to the Santa Maria Independent School District as part of this grant. Santa Maria ISD has been recently selected by NetDay as a new Community Partner is the Rio Grande Valley.

"We are committed to bringing resources and support to students in the Rio Grande Valley so they can learn in a technology rich environment and build the skills and knowledge necessary to compete for good-paying jobs in today's 21st Century workforce," said Julie Evans, CEO of NetDay. "We are thankful to the continued support from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, which is helping us expand the reach of our AmeriCorps project in the Rio Grande Valley."

Today's announcement brings NetDay's investment in the Rio Grande Valley to $1.5 million. The Rio Grande Valley Community Initiative began in 1999 with an initial goal of improving infrastructure development within the schools in Mercedes. Over the past three years, the project has grown to include hands-on support in the schools by AmeriCorps members who teach constructive and education technology based programs during and after school. NetDay has also leveraged national partnerships to bring 3 after-school computers labs where students can build technology skills, experiences and resources as well as additional equipment and resources to the Valley.

"In our family, computer time is very important. Michael and I can see our children using their creativity and imaginations as they learn and grow while using the computer," said Susan Dell. "By providing technology to students and teachers, we are providing tools that broaden the scope of learning."

About the Mercedes Independent School District The MISD is located in Mercedes, Texas, a rural town with a population of 15,000. Ninety percent of the 5,090 children in the school district live at or below the poverty level and a large percentage of those children live in sub-standard housing (colonias) that lack the infrastructure for basic utilities. The Texas Rio Grande Valley is the fourth largest growing metropolitan area in the United States and the second fastest growing area in Texas. Designated in 1996 as a Federal Empowerment Zone, the Texas Rio Grande Valley experiences some of the highest juvenile delinquency, unemployment, illiteracy and poverty rates in the nation.

Michael and Susan Dell Foundation Based in Austin, Texas, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation was established in December 1999 by the Dell family to help address the growing needs of children. Within its first three years, the Foundation has provided significant funding to initiatives that impact children's well being, the foundation's primary area of focus.

About NetDay NetDay (www.NetDay.org), a national education technology nonprofit headquartered in Irvine, CA, is connecting every child to a brighter future by helping educators meet educational goals through the effective use of technology. NetDay accomplishes this mission through community-based projects in underserved communities and strategic web initiatives for educators.

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