It has been more than a year since Ford Motor Company Fund awarded Howard University's GADGET Center a $100,000 Ford College Community Challenge (Ford C3) Grant. During that time one thing has become clear – this GADGET really works.
The GADGET Center is a student led community partnership of business, government and residents designed to generate economic development in the historic Georgia Avenue corridor of Washington, D.C. The center provides access to computers, support services and educational opportunities to help boost small business and create jobs.
Before GADGET opened its doors, 2801 Georgia Avenue was an empty bank branch. Today, the GADGET Center is active and making a difference. Nearly 150 professional and student volunteers have offered their services to more than 100 business clients. They have organized workshops, provided business consulting and even processed tax returns.
"Ford's C3 Grant provided the foundation from which to develop the GADGET Center from the concept stage to execution, by providing consistent support over a multi-year period and enabling the GADGET team to build the community partnerships and alliances critical to the program's success," said A.K. Adams, program director, GADGET Center.
The Howard University School of Business hopes to develop the GADGET Center into a model program that can help other underserved urban communities promote economic and business development.
Ford C3 invites partner colleges and universities to use their resources to address a pressing need in the local community. Proposals are selected based on the innovative way they develop solutions around the theme – Building Sustainable Communities. Ford C3 requires projects to have significant student input, involvement and leadership from beginning to end; giving winning proposals a distinct student perspective on what it means to be a sustainable community.
