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S P 0 R T S
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, Tubby Smith Foundation  
.; Closes Technology Gap . V5 
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  Lexington "at-risk" middle school   _ /1 1  
  StI.IdBI`ltS to I‘ECBl\lE fI‘8E GOI1‘Ipl.It8I‘S,   -     l
  training ‘ * ~     
  What happens when the nation’s top college basket-   H  
  ball coach, the local school district, urban county 1
 iv government, a computer company, private individuals and i
g dedicated teachers collaborate for the first time? For hun- A key part of Tubby’s Clubhouses is the Dell  
  dreds of Lexington—area low—income or at—risk middle TechKnow program, a 40—hour after—school program
  schools students, it’s Tubby’s Clubhouses. where at—risk middle school students receive free Dell re- X
  Tubby’s Clubhouses is a new program that by fall 2004 furbished desktop computers that they take apart and rc-
  will be at five local community centers with a mission to build. The students will install software; upgrade, diagnose
  close the technology gap and provide life skills education. and fix basic hardware problems; and then learn how to
? lt is a first-ever collaboration and joint funding effort be- use the word processing and educational software. Teach-
t  tween the Tubby Smith Foundation, the Parra Family ers from Fayette County Public Schools will serve as the
  Foundation, the Lexington—Fayette Urban County Gov- instructors for the Dell TechKnow program.
  ernment and its Division of Parks & Recreation, the Dell Phase One of Tubby’s Clubhouses program is under-
  TechKnow Program, Fayette County Public Schools and way. Thirty students have been identified to participate in
  the Lexington Urban League. a pilot Dell TechKnow program at the East Side Center
  "'Ihe Tubby Smith Foundation has committed $350,000 for Applied Technology. Five Fayette County technology
  during the next seven years to fund the Tubby’s Club- teachers have been trained in the Dell TechKnow curricu-
LZ houses," said Van Florence, executive director of the Tubby lum.The student pilot program and teacher—training pro-
  Smith Foundation. “Coach Tubby Smith, and his wife, gram is taking place this spring. Each clubhouse will be
  Donna, want to leave a legacy by making technology edu- ready in the fall of 2004 to handle a 20-student Dell
  cation available for those children of Lexington who may TechKnow program class — 100 students in all.
j not otherwise get it." Support for Tubby’s Clubhouses also comes from
  The five Tubby Clubhouse locations include four Keeneland and the Parra Family Foundation, created by
  through the partnership with the Lexington-Fayette Urban one of Dell’s senior vice presidents — Americas, Rosendo
County Government and the Division of Parks and Recre— G. "Ro" Parra. Parra co—owns Millennium Farms Ken-
  ation. The sites will be the Castlewood Community Center, tucky, a Thoroughbred breeding and training operation.
  the Dunbar Community Center, the Carver Community For information on how to support Tubby’s Clubhouses
i Center and the Kenwick Community Center. The fifth through the Tubby Smith Foundation contact Van Flo-
` Tubby’s Clubhouse will be located at the Lexington Urban rence at 859-255-4517 xl06.
Y League’s Technology Center on DeWeese Street in the j .
· downtown area.  L , W,     ] _ _. ·. ._      
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KENTUCKY ALUMN1 47