Boston has taken a lead position in working to bridge the Digital Divide, and it involves philanthropy. Ten years ago, Mayor Menino committed to address the issue, and he has done so — big time. In 1998 Boston became the first major urban school district in the nation to equip all school buildings and public libraries with high-speed broadband technology. The Boston Digital Bridge Foundation (BDBF) was established with a goal of raising $150 million to fully utilize the system. Educational projects were created: “Technology Goes Home” provides inner-city families with training and computers to help with homework and job skills; TechBoston Academy (Cat’05 website), a new pilot school within the system (est. 2002), offers advanced tech courses and internships providing practical skills for further education and careers. BDBF is spearheading the effort to make Boston wireless, and another initiative to bring 5,000 recent-vintage computers into the public schools to refresh an aging 15,000 school computers. These investments have certainly paid off—improved academic performance, better jobs, higher college enrollments, and many personal benefits. You can participate cost-effectively, because the City covers administrative overhead — 100% of all donations goes directly toward bridging the Divide.