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The Net at Two Rivers (N2R), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is one of the first regional community networks in the nation. Headquartered in California's capital city of Sacramento, project stretches from the center of the State to its eastern border and into Nevada. N2R's reach extends outward in a more important way, however-to more than two dozen collaborating organizations. Funded initially by the U.S. Department of Commerce, N2R has since brought business, government agencies, hospitals, libraries, schools, and nonprofit and volunteer groups into its thriving partnership. United Way, for instance, donated office space, Sacramento computer user groups provide technical support, California State University at Sacramento coordinates Internet training, and Apple Corporation made a sizable equipment donation. To date, N2R has established 50 public access sites throughout its 15-county area, helping to alleviate the significant disparities in computer access that exist in this largely rural region. In addition to its core focus on literacy training, N2R offers free Internet instruction in exchange for volunteer hours, and provides localized information to the public on such topics as wellness, disaster preparedness, job-seeking skills, voting, child-abuse prevention, and crime prevention. |