Free Access Neighborhood (FAN)

The Free Access Neighborhood “FAN” was born largely by accident as a by-product of the popular ABC television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EMHE). The Estridge Companies were asked by the producers of the show to serve as the builder for a deserving family when the show decided to come to Indianapolis to film their season finale in 2009. Paul Estridge, the company’s President, accepted the project under the condition that the efforts were not limited only to the benefit of a single family, but rather was allowed to transform the entire neighborhood. This simple goal took on a whole new meaning during a meeting with the IT director for the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), Dorothy Crenshaw. Crenshaw explained that students in IPS, 80% of whom qualify for free lunch programs, were at a distinct disadvantage because even if they had access to computers at home, most did not have access to the internet at home. Their learning potential was limited to the hours of the school day and the walls of the school house. With the cooperation of the local power company and donations from Motorola and Stoneware, FirstMile Technologies invented and activated the first FAN on May 17th 2009.