By Terence Lee
Earning Laptop Computers at Sunday Friends
Kids attending Sunday Friends' program are eligible to earn laptops refurbished by EqOpTech by attending STEM classes and meeting a series of challenging objectives.
Terence Lee (left), Kevin Gao, Vijay Talati - kid earning his first refurbished laptop at Sunday Friends
How do low income kids earn the laptops at Sunday Friends?
Kids and families participate in classes and computer guided curricula to learn math, financial literacy and/or computer programming. "It takes perseverance and several months to earn a computer", says Sunday Friends. "You should see the pride and excitement on each child's face when the goal is met!"
Who provides the refurbished laptops?
EqOpTech, a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit promotes equal opportunity access to technology for education. The nonprofit refurbishes and deploys unwanted laptops to students in need to enable easy access to the cloud (Google Drive) to complete homework, projects and access online educational content.
EqOpTech receives used laptop donations from the community including tech companies, partners, local school districts, and individuals. EqOpTech student leaders then train volunteers to wipe clean the hard drives, refurbish and reinstall all operating systems, update drivers and software to restore the computer to its original full functionality. To close the learning gap for students without tech access, the team engages school clubs both at Los Altos High School and Egan Junior High School as well as the LAHS National Honor Society, working tirelessly to fix up, upgrade and install necessary software on all donated laptops and tablets.
What difference a Laptop makes?
With these laptops, kids can do homework on their own computers at home, access Khan Academy, making it easier to keep up with school work. Not only do refurbished laptops receive a purposeful second life but students are also given an equal opportunity to compete academically and break the cycle of poverty. With a big smile on their faces, each recipient shares their unique story of what the new computer means to them.
“Sunday Friends and my family would like to thank EqOpTech for fixing laptops and tablets and donating them for kids. My children learn so much by using the tablets. By Nubia Tellez”
“Thank you for fixing computer laptops and tablets and donating them to Sunday Friends for kids to earn. By Michelle Villegas”
“Thank you so much for your donation to our Sunday Friends program. Thank you for fixing the computer laptops and tablets and donating them to Sunday Friends for kids to learn. By Nataba Botello”
EqOpTech student leaders providing orientation to student on his first refurbished laptop
Vanessa Torres (left to right), Terence Lee, Kevin Gao, James McCaskill, Janis Baron, Arushi Goyal, Vijay Talati
Our Equal Opportunity Technology program is made possible thanks to Los Altos Community Foundation community grant award.
Visit here for more information.