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Inaugural “Back to School” Laptop Donation Drive Draws Community-Wide Support to Empower Kids with Technology

September 17, 2020

Over 130 devices & $5,000 cash donated over 3 days to benefit local kids!

Thanks to the generosity of many throughout the Tampa Bay community, more than 120 laptops and tablets were donated for the benefit of middle and high school members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay.  The drive, which ran September 1-3, was supported by local tech organizations Think Big for KidseSmart Recycling, Tampa Bay Tech (TBT), and Tampa Bay Wave (Wave).

Donation quick facts:

  • Total of 131 devices donated, weighing 881 pounds.
  • Since not all donated devices were refurbish able, ultimately the drive yielded at least 25 fully refurbish able devices.
  • These refurbished devices are all 5th generation machines, all standardized with 4GB of RAM and 500GB HDD + Docking Stations. (the market value of these units is $250-300 each) They will come with Original Windows 10 Pro License and full Windows Office Suite.
  • An additional $5,000 cash donation was also collected to be put towards the purchase of new laptops for the local Boys & Girls Clubs. Thank you, JPMorgan Chase!!
  • Thanks to Florida Blue and others for donating some awesome swag for the Thank You gift bags handed out to donors.

With so many school-aged children being forced into e-learning for the 2020-2021 school year, there is growing concern about whether low-to-moderate income households have a sufficient number of laptops or other devices so that all children have the proper tools they need. Thus, local organizations came together with a goal to ensure no child left behind!  And the laptop donation drive was born.

After the 3-day donation drive, inquiries have continued to come in asking about whether additional devices can still be donated. Thus, these local organizations are considering future drives, so please stay tuned.

Meanwhile, should you have devices ready to donate today, please contact eSmart Recycling for a list of upcoming donation drives.