PHILADELPHIA The University of Pennsylvania is helping West Philadelphia non-profits keep up-to-date with computer technology through a grant from the Corporation for National Service. The Center for Community Partnerhips at Penn has hired two full-time coordinators to implement computer training and to distribute hardware and software to area churches and high schools. The three-year $171,000 grant began on Jan. 1.

The project, "Bridging the Digital Divide," is run by 40 volunteers who repair computers, set up refurbished computers, provide training and maintenance support and teach computer literacy throughout West Philadelphia. Penn is one of seven universities that received the grant.

The Center for Community Partnerships is working with Penn School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Department of Information Systems and Computing to collect and distribute still-valuable computers to local non-profits, communities of faith and schools.

For example, University City High School already has a computer lab, but Penn volunteers are offering an evening job-training program. Also, through the Penn engineering school, 12 student groups are involved in various volunteer efforts. These students offer computer support to local schools and other organizations that do not have the resources to adequately maintain their systems.

For more information, contact Cory Bowman at 215-898-