Non-profit wins grant to help veterans learn tech skills in Blue Grass
Davenport North Sophomore teams up with local American Legion for flagship program
BLUE GRASS, Iowa (KWQC) - A new non-profit in Blue Grass recently won a grant to help veterans with tech literacy.
Veterans Tech Support wants to give those who’ve served in the military lessons on the technology many young people take for granted.
That’s where tech-savvy founder Abigail Johnson comes in. She said there’s no better group to launch the organization with than the Blue Grass American Legion Post 711.
“[The Legion has] helped me so much throughout my life,” Johnson said. “I figured that a way I could help that’s in my realm of knowledge is with technology.”
With a $10,000 grant from Pilot Pen, Johnson hopes to purchase five computers to start teaching lessons to the veterans served by the post.
As more and more of people’s daily lives are at their fingertips, Johnson wants to use her skillset to help veterans learn to navigate everything from social media to online Healthcare or banking.
“{Most of this technology] came when they were already adults. They didn’t grow up with it,” Johnson said. “It isn’t almost second nature like it is for us younger people.”
Blue Grass Post Commander Polly Graham has known Johnson since she was a baby. She said she’s excited to see how these lessons can help the legion spread word of their fundraisers and other programming for veterans.
“That will help us propel some of the things that we want to do in the future,” Graham said. “Supporting our mission, which is to help support the veterans and their families in the community.”
One of those veterans is Mike Lake, Johnson’s grandfather who served in Vietnam.
“Abby has a long history of being at the top. And I think a tremendous because I’m computer illiterate,” Lake said. “I’ll be her first subject. So she’s inspired me [and] inspires a lot of people.”
While the goal is to help veterans with day-to-day tech use, Johnson hopes the program accomplishes more.
“If I can help one of them get a job with the ... tech literacy that I provide, that would it would warm my heart,” Johnson said. “Just knowing that I helped them get to that point, that would be amazing.”
Eventually, Johnson hopes to recruit enough volunteers and donors to expand to other American Legion Posts across Iowa, then around the whole country.
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