Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine Hudgins cuts a piece of ribbon for one of the Computer Learning Center Partnership participants.

(RESTON, Va.) — If java means a cup of coffee instead of a computer programming language and a virus warrants a trip to the doctor instead of a scan of your system files, then computers may not be your cup of Joe (which still means coffee). But with the new Southgate Computer Learning Center now opened, children from underserved Reston families are brewing something much better — technology skills and academic success.

At a Dec. 11 ribbon-cutting ceremony, Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine Hudgins, scissors in hand, helped open the newest Computer Learning Centers Partnership (CLCP) computer lab, housed in the Southgate Community Center, which provides technology and literacy training for school-aged students in Reston.

"This new Computer Learning Center personifies the growth that Reston has experienced," Supervisor Hudgins said. "The Computer Learning Centers Partnership was formed 12 years ago, and since that time, we have made much progress serving Reston youth. What remains is the technology gap. The goal is for Southgate to help narrow that gap by providing technology and literacy opportunities to Reston children who otherwise would not have that access."

The Southgate computer lab features 10 state-of-the art computers, and provides after-school technology training and enrichment activities to underserved Fairfax County youths. The center, which replaced the one previously housed at the Stonegate Village Apartments complex, is an important expansion that will provide enhanced capabilities for greater Reston.

The new Southgate Computer Learning Center, much like the other 13 centers, is possible because of public-private partnerships among the Fairfax County Government and area businesses, organizations and individuals. Key partners for the Southgate opening include WIN-WIN Strategies Foundation, the CLCP Advisory Council, the Fairfax County Office of Partnerships and the Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services. For more information call (703) 324-5171, or log onto www.fairfaxcounty.gov/partnerships.