Impact Story
The latest about digital inclusion in Charlotte and CDE’s direct impact
Dory Ward moved to Charlotte from Memphis after realizing she was ready for a change in her life. Her twenty-six-year-old daughter and eight-year-old granddaughter had already moved to Houston, and her apartment lease was about to be over. “And one day, I was in my kitchen, and I heard Charlotte mentioned on the radio. So, I just checked it out and looked it up, and I realized: This was the place for me. From there, everything just fell into place,” she said of the decision.
Ward was already an ambitious, nontraditional student at forty-five, so she transferred her classes to Central Piedmont and began the process of becoming a more integrated part of the Charlotte community. Despite the challenges of being on disability and a fixed income, Ward considers herself resourceful and determined to achieve her goals of finishing school and working on her own non-profit organization to help people struggling with mental health issues.
Without her own computer, Ward was forced to navigate the process of traveling to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library regularly and waiting for the public computers to do her work. She was determined to persevere until she saved enough money to finally buy her own laptop—but the situation was stressful, and put her in the position of having to decide between buying a laptop or other necessities.
Luckily, a solution to her situation was not far off, as Ward began to learn at local CDE events. Seeking out community events and connecting to new people came naturally to Ward, who is a huge advocate for community involvement. She first came across the CDE at a booth at her church and again at an Access Charlotte event held at her apartment complex, which was geared toward helping residents sign up for the program. Ward describes this event as incredibly welcoming, “And so when I ended up coming [to the event], it just drew me in. You could feel the energy: Everybody’s participation, engagement…their enthusiasm for just getting out and letting us know.”
The situation was stressful, and put [Ward] in the position of having to decide between buying a laptop or other necessities.
After attending a CDE-supported event, Ward got a much needed laptop, eliminating the stress of having to figure out how to afford one on her own or waiting to use a public computer to do essential work. The alleviation of this stress allows her to focus on her goals.
While Ward needs the laptop for her classes, she has other big plans as well. Initially, her focus in school was criminal justice, but her passion for helping people struggling with mental health issues steered her in a different direction. Switching her focus to mental health studies will allow her to make an impact on individuals before they ever end up in the criminal justice system. Ward believes that many people just need hope and to feel like they are not alone. She plans on using technology to connect with people in need through video recordings and chats. In Ward’s case, the simple difference of one person having a laptop has the potential to touch many lives.
Ward believes that many people just need hope and to feel like they are not alone…the simple difference of one person having a laptop has the potential to touch many lives.
The acquisition of her laptop, along with the in-home broadband internet access made possible through the Access Charlotte Program, have already allowed Ward to get business coaching from her school and begin the process of setting up an EIN (Employer Identification number, for tax purposes) and an LLC (Limited Liability Company designation) for the establishment of her non-profit business. Her future plans include several ideas for future businesses, and she says she could even see herself being an activist. It’s clear that Ward is driven and she has a vision of the future that sees no limits.
