On Thursday, the Los Angeles LGBT Center welcomed the David Bohnett Foundation and community supporters to The Village at Ed Gould Plaza to celebrate the grand reopening of the David Bohnett CyberCenter.
The Center was the home of David Bohnett’s first CyberCenter in 1998, predating the Bohnett Foundation’s formal establishment. What began as one room with a handful of computers quickly became a model for free digital access, rooted in the belief that technology is not a luxury, but a lifeline. Today, the model established at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza has been expanded to more than 50 CyberCenter locations nationwide.
As the Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary, the David Bohnett CyberCenter is now reopened with upgraded, new equipment and a refreshed look, the CyberCenter provides state-of-the-art technology and free internet access to those who may not have reliable devices, connectivity, or private space at home.
“David is a visionary and innovator within our movement,” said Center CEO Joe Hollendoner. “Twenty-eight years ago, he had the foresight to recognize the role that technology and the internet would play in increasing access to services and reducing isolation for the LGBTQ+ community. At a time when very few of us knew even how to ‘surf the net,’ David understood that a CyberCenter could be a lifeline.”
David Bohnett is a longtime partner of the Center’s, having supported the organization’s work for more than three decades. In addition to the CyberCenter, the rooftop event space at the Anita May Rosenstein Campus is also named in Bohnett’s honor.
The partnership’s legacy also extends to the McDonald/Wright Health Center on Schrader Boulevard—renamed in 1994 for Rand Schrader, David’s life partner, who was a gay rights activist and longtime board member at the Center whose impact will never be forgotten. “While most funders’ priorities shift and commitments change, David and the Foundation’s Board understand the importance of sustained support, as is evident today,” Hollendoner said.
“Seeing this CyberCenter refreshed with new equipment is incredibly meaningful,” said Bohnett. “it reflects not only the evolution of technology, but the Center’s ongoing commitment to meeting people where they are and giving them the resources to move forward with dignity.” He emphasized the growth of the CyberCenter network—a vision first brought to life at the Center—which now connects LGBTQ+ people nationwide through a network of CyberCenters across the nation.
You can learn more about the David Bohnett CyberCenter at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, including hours and programs, here.
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