(TNS) -- Sawyer Free Library's planned Digital Learning Lab is being powered by a $50,000 Hometown Grant from T-Mobile, a mobile telecommunications company.
The money will support the creation of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library Digital Learning Lab, designed to bridge the digital divide and equip the community with essential 21st-century skills at the newly renovated library when it opens at 2 Dale Ave. next fall.
The new Digital Learning Lab will offer:
-- Two audio recording studios.
-- Four digital media creation, digitization, and collaborative workstations.
-- A 12-seat classroom with an interactive teaching display.
The 800-square-foot lab will be fully accessible, climate-controlled, and equipped with high-speed broadband internet and advanced technology. It is designed to support a range of users, from workforce development participants to budding entrepreneurs and independent innovators.
"Thanks to T-Mobile's investment in Gloucester, the Sawyer Free Library is positioned to continue serving as a beacon of learning and empowerment," Mayor Greg Verga said in a prepared statement. "This $50,000 grant will help bring the Digital Learning Lab to life, a cornerstone of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library transformation.
"This lab will unlock opportunities for innovation, economic growth, and personal development for all members of our community," he said.
A ceremonial check presentation was made Saturday in the Kyrouz Auditorium at City Hall during the Middle Street walk.
T-Mobile's Hometown Grant program is part of the company's commitment to investing up to $25 million by 2026 in small towns and territories across America. It partners with Main Street America to administer the grant program and assess applications based on their level of detail, community impact, feasibility and other considerations.
Such grants aim to create lasting impacts by supporting community-focused projects. The Sawyer Free Library was one of the 25 recipients of the latest round of grants which was announced Thursday.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library campaign is about 60% of the way toward its $29 million fundraising goal to pay the library's historic renovation, modernization, and expansion project.
The building project is on schedule and on budget, according to Mern Sibley, president of the Board of Trustees of the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library. During construction, the library has been operating at 21 Main St.
Tax-deductible donations may be made at its website, www.sawyerfreelibrary.org or by check sent to Sawyer Free Library, Annual Appeal, 2 Dale Ave., Gloucester, MA 01930.
To learn more about how to get involved and support the library project, go to 2025.sawyerfreelibrary.org.
© 2024 the Gloucester Daily Times (Gloucester, Mass.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.