BUFFALO, N.Y. — Just as college kids head back to class a non-profit, Say-Yes Buffalo is helping first-year college students prepare for the transition.
As an initiative that keeps on giving, students line up outside of Say-Yes Buffalo for a free laptop.
"Buffalo is a city of hope. This is a city where you can own a business, start a family, and purchase a home. For those that do not recognize their power, this is your moment, says Deputy Mayor Rashied H. McDuffie."
It's a relief for parents with one less item to buy, and give students the keys they need for success.
This effort to bridge the digital divide in lower-income communities is a joint tactic by AT&T and Say-Yes Buffalo. The 165 HP laptops given away help the more than 11,000 Buffalo students without internet access according to Say-Yes, and aims to assist families making under $50,000 a year.
"This cannot be the end of how this involvement looks where corporate America is investing in people's lives. There has to be a continuous of that," Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes says.
Say-Yes Buffalo says the 165 laptops aren't enough to help every student in Buffalo, but say it's a step in bridging the digital divide. It's helpful for first-year college student, Englide Kezakimana.
"With college and stuff and we got to pay for, it's all so expensive," says Kezakimana. She continues, "I was literally thinking about what kind of laptop I have to buy for school. I still got to pay for this. I still got to pay for that."
As an immigrant from Rwanda, she's attending Niagara University as a first-generation college student. She says she wants to study digital and media marketing. In fact, she moves into her dorm Wednesday.
"Say-Yes has always helped us with school supplies, backpacks, everything we need," says Kezakimana.
The laptops aren't the only gift. There are discounted broadband services of 30 dollars through the Affordable Connectivity Program.