For Immediate Release
Contact: Ashley Spinks, [email protected], (703) 351-2098
Arlington, Va., (April 1, 2019)—The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) is dedicated to improving quality of life in America by advancing an understanding of rural issues. In pursuit of this mission, FRS recently concluded its 2019 Rural Youth App Challenge, asking students to develop concepts for mobile apps that would address a problem or improve a process in their rural community or in rural America at-large. Each team was supported by a member of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association.
FRS is pleased to announce Jefferson Wings, a team of students sponsored by GRM Networks (Princeton, Mo.) is the 2019 FRS Rural Youth App Challenge winner. Five student team members will each receive a $100 Amazon gift card and a six-month subscription to Codecademy Pro, thanks to the sponsorships of NISC and Mapcom Systems.
Jefferson Wings’ app would include a directory of local records for Nodaway County, Mo., including accomplishments in sports, historical facts and familial documentation such as the family with the most children or the oldest member. According to the app designers, no such central repository for local history currently exists, and this app could bolster Nodaway County residents’ interest in and knowledge of their community.
Prizes were also awarded to the second- and third-place teams, both from Putnam County Middle School and sponsored by NTCA member NEMR Telecom (Green City, Mo.). The teams designed apps to help pet owners keep track of their companions’ medical histories and physical locations, and to help women in their community identify threats to their safety, respectively.
“The FRS team is thrilled to have a second successful year of the Rural Youth App Challenge under our belts. As with last year, the applications demonstrated the abiding passion and creativity that can be found in rural communities and schools across this country,” said FRS Executive Director Jessica Golden. “We thank the sponsors and collaborators who support this program and wish all the applicants the best.”
The Rural Youth App Challenge is the latest effort by FRS to support a high quality of life in rural America. In February, the foundation launched a new grant program to support veteran communities served by NTCA members that lack easy access to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and clinics. In June, FRS will welcome dozens of high school students from rural areas to Washington, D.C., for its annual Youth Tour. You can read more about the App Challenge Winners and the work of FRS online.
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The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS), in cooperation with NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association and its members, seeks to sustain and enhance the quality of life in rural America by advancing an understanding of rural issues. FRS is committed to educational achievement in rural communities, recognizing that tomorrow’s economic and civic development depends on the involvement and commitment of today’s youth. Visit us at www.frs.org.
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. In an era of transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.