Annandale Boys & Girls Club gets $20,000 worth of new technology from Cox
The Annandale Boys & Girls Club has a bunch of new technology, thanks to a $20,000 grant from Cox Communications.
The Cox Innovation Lab will be used by children and teens in the afterschool programs operated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW) in the new Annandale Community Center at 7851-B Heritage Drive.
The new gear includes two 3D printers, 20 iPads, two Nintendo Switch systems, two Oculus virtual reality headsets, a Vibe Board for video conferencing, AI-powered cameras, an AI-powered “smart garden,” and motion-capture software for animation.
The Cox Innovation Lab was unveiled at an Annandale Community Day event featuring an appearance by former football player Malcolm Mitchell of the Superbowl-winning New England Patriots. Mitchell is a literacy advocate and children’s book author.
There was also a ribbon cutting and remarks by BGCGW and county officials. Kids got a chance to play games and enjoy snacks from Kona Ice and SevaTruck, while their parents learned about community resources.
The afterschool program started in March with 25 participants – mostly from Braddock and Annandale Terrace elementary schools, said Jasmin Richerson, director of the Annandale Boys & Girls Club.
The program has space for 40, and several parents at the event filled out registration forms.
The teen program, for students aged 12-18, focuses on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), crafts, and a creative approach to technology, said Shelby Hubbard, technology director at BGCGW. There’s a daily “power hour” where the teens can get tutoring and homework help. Field trips are being planned.
The teen program just started Aug. 28 with 12 youths. Both afterschool programs are free.
“The digital divide is real,” said BGCGW Senior Vice President Jim Almond, expressing appreciation to Cox for “giving our kids a fighting chance.”
Eighteen percent of young people do not have access to the internet, noted Cox Vice President for Northern Virginia Kathryn Falk. Cox has donated more than $40 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 2003 to help close the gap.
Related story: Boy Scouts teach outdoor skills to Annandale Boys & Girls Club campers
Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw said developing the Annandale Community Center – in partnership with the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services – was one of his top priorities. It opened in March.
The center serves a community where families have come from all over the world and have faced significant struggles and continue to deal with many challenges, Walkinshaw said. The organizations supporting the community center “have come together to build a village – a village to support these kids and help them achieve their dreams.”
If watching the news makes you feel pessimistic about the future of the country, “just come here and spend a few minutes seeing what these kids are doing,” Walkinshaw said. “You will walk away feeling pretty damn positive about the direction we’re headed.”