This spring Voices for Innovation launched our first-ever Device Donation Drive. The goal is simple: Get laptops into the hands of kids for distance learning. If your business has laptops to donate, please reach out to VFI Director David Pryor to get started.
Just after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, schools across the country shuttered and millions of kids had to switch to online learning. Unfortunately, many kids don’t have access to computers. We knew that members of our community wanted to help—and so we organized our Device Donation Drive.
Devices are Needed for Summer and Fall Learning
School is now out for the summer, but kids still need to get online to learn and connect. In addition, many schools are planning a hybrid school week in the fall to enable social distancing. One cohort of kids will come to school on some days and another cohort on other days—with all kids continuing to learn online. The bottom line is kids across the country still need laptops.
Now that offices are reopening, we encourage you to see if your business has an inventory of retired computers that haven’t been recycled yet. You may also have clients with older computers in storage who want to participate. VFI is taking steps to ensure that donated laptops are handled with security and safety in mind:
- Donations are physically managed by Microsoft Authorized Refurbishers.
- Laptops surfaces are cleaned to eliminate pathogens, including the coronavirus.
- All donated laptops are wiped of data and a clean copy of Windows is installed.
We’re grateful that several companies—including AvePoint, Blackbaud, Pax8, and Velosio—have already stepped up to participate. You individually or your company can donate any number of devices, from one on up. Please contact David Pryor to join this effort.
