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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Professor Nicholas Negroponte</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Chairman, One Laptop Per Child</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:address w:st="on"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><st1:Street w:st="on">P.O. Box</st1:Street>
425087</FONT></FONT></st1:address></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><st1:place w:st="on"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><st1:City w:st="on">Cambridge</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode
w:st="on">02142</st1:PostalCode></FONT></FONT></st1:place></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Dear Dr. Negroponte:</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">When I first heard of One Laptop per Child (OLPC) and
your mission to “empower the children of developing countries to learn by
providing one connected laptop to every school-age child”; I immediately knew
that your program would be vital to the efforts to improve the educational needs
of the children in my community.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">I am the <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Commissioner</st1:PlaceName>, for <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Tarrant</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType>, Precinct One, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Fort Worth</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Texas</st1:State></st1:place>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>My precinct includes nineteen (19) zip codes, three (3) school districts,
and 121 individual schools from elementary to high school.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There are approximately 80,456 students,
with 61.51% of them being classified as “Economically Disadvantaged”, 48.8% of
them classified as “at Risk”, and 17.21% classified with “Limited English
Proficiency”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Additionally, as
reported by the Fort Worth Star Telegram on April 1, 2008, “slightly more than
half the ninth-graders who entered Fort Worth District Schools in 2000 went on
to graduate in 2004”, …according to a report on schools in the nation’s 50
largest cities by an organization founded by former Secretary of State Colin
Powell.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">While Precinct 1 is in the heart of the fastest growing
county in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, we mirror the statistics of a third
world country.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Other precincts in
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Tarrant</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> are affluent;
however, our precinct possesses all of the urban ills plaguing society
today.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Many of our constituents
have never left their neighborhoods, much less the City of <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Fort Worth</st1:place></st1:City>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They are severely lacking in educational
opportunities, healthcare, and economic advancement.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I am passionate about improving their
outcomes during my tenure as <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Commissioner</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The One Laptop Per Child program is a
perfect way to provide exposure beyond the world they know today.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><BR
style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always; mso-special-character: line-break"
clear=all></SPAN></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>I would like to discuss with you a partnership between your organization
and my foundation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I already have a
benefactor ready to finance a pilot program which would entail the purchase 200
laptops, and we will plan on giving the computers we purchase and yours to
children who are at risk in our communities.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Additionally, we have managed to engage
both the Center for Urban Education at <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Texas</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Christian</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceName>, and The School of Education at <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Texas</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Wesleyan</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, both of which are located in
Precinct One, as partners in this effort.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>They will provide wrap-around services not only in the use of the
technology itself, but in enhancements to the math and science curricula of the
local school districts.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Programmatically, we will work with selected classes of middle school
students from each of the three school districts which serve Precinct One,
forming each year’s students into cohorts which will remain together through
high school graduation. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We hope to
make this program both sustainable and expandable as we move ahead. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I look forward to visiting with you.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I can be reached at 817-370-4500, or at
</FONT><A href="mailto:rcbrooks@tarrantcounty.com"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>rcbrooks@tarrantcounty.com</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>
.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Sincerely,</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><IMG
style="WIDTH: 167px; HEIGHT: 64px" height=124 src="cid:785454418@01072008-128A"
width=319 v:shapes="_x0000_i1025"></SPAN></FONT></o:p><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Roy C. Brooks<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva" color=#0000ff>Catherine A.
Young</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva" color=#0000ff>Community Outreach
Coordinator</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva" color=#0000ff>for Commissioner Roy
C. Brooks</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva" color=#0000ff>6551 Granbury
Road</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva" color=#0000ff>Fort Worth,
Texas 76133</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva"
color=#0000ff>817-370-4500</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva"
color=#0000ff>817-370-4503</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva" color=#0000ff></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=2><FONT face="Monotype Corsiva"><FONT
color=#ff0000><FONT size=3>"Experience is what you get when you don't get what
you wanted" </FONT> Randy
Pausch</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
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