TEACH AND CONNECT
In March of 2020, all schools went to distance learning due to Coronavirus. Schools, families, and corporations were all impacted by the closures of the schools. The hardest impacted were students that do not have laptops or internet in their homes. The facilities where they would go to get access to these resources were closed as well. Immediately our founders, Mathew Blades and Lloyd Hopkins of the Million Dollar Teacher Project went to work. Their existing relationship with Future Stars, whose efforts to close the digital divide started in 2015 with the Hands On STEM program, allowed us to have a bigger impact.
In 36 hours, 32 applications were received from teachers all over Maricopa County. Teachers who knew the pandemic was going to affect their ability to TEACH and CONNECT applied and asked for more than 11,000 devices.
We are requesting Tech Companies in the valley that replace their inventory of laptops every year to donate their used laptops to Title 1 Tech. The laptops/computers will be donated to the schools that have submitted applications on behalf of their students. The laptops will be wiped with a kill disk and if you require DOD there may be a small fee per device. Your donations to Title 1 Tech will ensure that students in Arizona will be able to continue the learning.
Title 1 Tech has contributed $15,000 worth of laptops to deserving but underserved students in the first 2 weeks and since then has positively impacted more than 600 students and families.
In 2022, Title 1 Tech program was moved to be a part of Future Stars, Inc programming and services that are provided, the strong team of nonprofits and for-profit companies are making an impact in providing the laptops and internet service that is needed.