Knowledge is power – but what if you’re powerless?

In south-central Los Angeles underserved communities were hit hard by the pandemic, and struggling families found their struggle greater than ever before.

· Elementary school children whose classes had moved online due to COVID-19 couldn’t participate because their families couldn’t afford a laptop.

· A young woman in a wheelchair who lacked technology found herself more isolated than ever before.

· A local gentleman without the means to buy a computer was driven to find a way to start his own non-profit to provide support in his hard-hit community.

Rama Arya, CEO of Elevated Life Solutions has always known that knowledge is power. He believes that with knowledge anyone can change their life condition. Somalie Inez shares that viewpoint. Somalie is an old friend of Rama’s who started a charitable organization of her own - Point of Love foundation, about a year ago.

Point of Love aspires to support the education of underprivileged people in the community. Somalie believes that teaching financial literacy to young people and minorities who never had any guidance or education in how to build a life is vital to changing their living situations.

When the pandemic hit, Somalie needed to move her message online via Zoom, but the fledgling foundation was short on funds for things like technology. Elevated Life Solutions was there for her. Rama provided Point of Love with tech support which included securing and paying for a discounted Zoom subscription for PointofLove.org.

“Rama is committed to providing technology through Elevated Life Solutions and Point of Love,” says Somalie, “because he understands the importance of reaching and lifting up underserved communities.”

With their goals aligned, Rama and Somalie decided to work together to distribute much-needed technology to the neediest community members they could reach. It was important to both Somalie and Elevated Life Solutions that the computers get into the right hands – where there is the greatest need. To that end, Point of Love created an application process for local people to request laptops. The process includes determining each applicant’s specific technology needs and also their level of computer literacy.

Through his non-profit, Rama was able to purchase and refurbish 55 laptop computers which have already been distributed to families in South Central Los Angeles.

To date, these computers have reached:

· Several Elementary school children whose classes have moved online due to Coronavirus

· The woman in a wheelchair (in her 30’s) who has been isolated, without a computer to connect to people

· The gentleman who had no computer, but was interested in starting a non-profit of his own so he could pay-it-forward

When the laptops are distributed, each person receiving one has to sign in. The recipient is shown how to set up and use the laptop then they are asked if they need further instruction or education on computer use. Rama is always there to provide any support. Somalie is grateful to have Rama and Elevated Life Solutions as a partner. She says,

“Rama is a beam of light and has the heart to want to make a difference. To be of service – in any way. Our hearts are aligned to help people.”

To help more kids and underserved community members get a laptop, please donate here.

Struggling to Teach – God Delivered

Overcoming Barriers to Education

Bishop Edward Turner of the New Power of Love Christian Fellowship in South Central Los Angeles has spent a lifetime dreaming of creating opportunities for the congregants of his church and the young people in his community. He has witnessed great disparity in their access to technology and the resources necessary to develop the computer skills that would give these folks a leg-up in the world.

The Bishop had many conversations with his assistant and good friend, Joseph Muhl, a brilliant Mathematician who is also a professor currently teaching at CalTech. The two of them were determined to develop a STEM education program for their community and to that end, they needed the help of an angel. Bishop Turner says God delivered - with the support of Elevated Life Solutions and Rama Arya.

In the Bishop’s words -

“Birds of a feather don’t necessarily flock together but they eventually find each other”.

Rama is on a mission. Through Elevated Life Solutions he is committed to keeping valuable discarded technology out of landfills. His goal is to provide new and refurbished laptops to underserved and marginalized communities, creating equity. Coming from a poor village in India, Rama understands the power of education, especially in the fields of science and technology. He strives to help underprivileged people everywhere change their lives, by entering the workforce with vital computer and technology skills that are currently in demand.

The three men got together for a meeting and discussed the value of STEM classes for community members. Crucial to the success of such a program, The church desperately needed new laptops. Elevated Life Solutions was the answer to their prayers. Rama secured the necessary donations and was quickly able to provide 27 refurbished and brand-new laptops for the church. With the help of Elevated Life Solutions, they finally have the tools they need to bring STEM classes to South Central Los Angeles. Bishop Turner was overcome with gratitude.

“Rama is an amazing angel and an inspiration. He’s just the kind of person the world needs right now”.

After the pandemic hit, Rama’s support for the church continued. The Church was suddenly struggling to continue its outreach, and Bishop Turner needed help to deliver the powerful and inspiring Sunday sermons his community relied upon via Zoom.

Bishop Turner turned to Elevated Life Solutions for help.

“We were in need and Rama said, ‘Hey – let’s get to work!’ He’s a man of his word. A man of integrity.”

Rama came to the church and set up three different web cameras from different angles. He connected them to a computer with dual-monitors so when congregants watched from home, they could feel connected to the Bishop and his message just as if they were all in the same room together. Rama graciously continued his support by teaching the church’s technical assistant how to run the setup, including optimizing the presentation’s audio and switching between cameras when necessary.

With the support of ELS and Rama’s technical knowledge and expertise, Bishop Turner’s sermon was transformed into a professional broadcast. Moving forward, ELS and New Power of Love Christian Fellowship plan to work together to broaden the church’s STEM program. They are committed to delivering the support that the community needs to achieve a lifetime of success through computer-based training and education in STEM.