We wish to thank every participant at this conference from the bottom of our hearts. Several people, including both of us, said from the podium that any attendee could have been a panelist, and many offered ideas for best practices … or overcoming the myriad of challenges facing those trying to bring low-income seniors into the digital age.
This effort was an extraordinary collaboration between three partners, the Benton Foundation, Connected Living, and senior advocate Don Samuelson, of DSSA Strategies.
Credit for the idea to convene this cross section of stakeholders goes entirely to Don Samuelson. Don has tremendous experience with low-income seniors and overcoming the barriers to closing the digital divide. He was an invaluable colleague.
On behalf of all the conference attendees, we are grateful to our federal collaborators in this work, Dr. Tony Wilhelm and Dr. Francine Jefferson of the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Their work has given us a special opportunity to bring low-income seniors online.
We also want to offer our special thanks to the two people who organized the conference and did the hard work of preparing participants and the space for our collaboration: Andrew Lowenstein of Connected Living and Cecilia Garcia of the Benton Foundation.
Their daily work for weeks in advance to find the perfect blend of panelists, and offer the context for all that we wanted to address, set the stage for this convening.
Lastly, we also thank those of you who watched our conversation as it was web cast. We have heard from several who found the information helpful, far beyond our Washington area conference.
Connecting low-income seniors is vital – and exceptionally difficult – work.
We thank all those who toil in the places where low-income seniors gather to bring our most vulnerable elderly into the national online conversation … and into our ever-growing digital economy.
Sincerely,
Charles Benton
Chairman of the Board
The Benton Foundation
Sarah Hoit
CEO and Co-Founder
Connected Living
Hosts
The Benton Foundation advocates for media and telecommunications policies that serve the public interest. A 30-year old private, operating foundation, Benton bridges the worlds of philanthropy, public policy and community action as a nonpartisan public interest advocate and convener with a special interest in telecommunications policy.
With its relatively modest endowment, Benton uses its own resources to fund its policy work and information services .As a founding member of the Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM), Benton has played a major role in bringing a number of foundations into the media and telecommunications arena.
Founded in 2007, Connected Living, a social impact company, is transforming the experience of aging and connecting families across generations by combining simplified technology with high-touch personal support. Offering the latest in state-of-the-art technology, and training and support to both residents and staff, Connected Living is frequently recognized for excellence in the senior living industry as well as many of this country's top Housing Authorities.
Their unique approach to technology has been adopted in over 17 states by both private senior living and public housing authorities across the nation.