Help Port Chester Win $25K For New Computer Lab

PORT CHESTER, NY — Port Chester High School doesn’t have a computer lab for its students. The school has been selected as one of 200 finalists in the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program and needs the community’s help to win a $25,000 grant to pay for a new computer lab.

Through Aug. 25, anyone with a valid email address can vote for Port Chester High School, up to 10 times per day, here. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Two thousand submissions were received through State Farm Neighborhood Assist, a crowd-sourced philanthropic program that empowers communities to identify issues in their neighborhoods. Port Chester High School is the only finalist located in the Westchester County. The top 40 vote-getters will receive a $25,000 grant and the winners will be announced on Sept. 28.

The school was forced to eliminate its last computer lab due to overcrowding. The school originally had three computer labs, but over the past few years had to eliminate them due to lack of funding and space.

More than 66 percent of students at the high school are eligible for free lunch, there are three government housing buildings in the Village of Port Chester, and three of the elementary schools are classified as Tier 1 (low income) schools.

Port Chester State Farm agent Dalila Namy said the students want to succeed but are set up to fail.

“Despite the odds, 95 percent of the students attend higher education,” she said. “Our students deserve more and this grant will be used for a need that is completely unmet. Please help us give our student the tools and technology they need to succeed.”

Photo credit: State Farm Neighborhood Assist website.