For the local Laptop Upcycle community, our partnership with TechConnect will provide access to cutting edge online coding resources, and importantly an existing and vibrant support community for those who wish to enroll in the courses.

Anyone who has explored online courses often encounter roadblocks in the form of lack of community and support which all too often results in waning interest in the class. The TechConnect team has an existing infrastructure in place to remedy this issue and we at Laptop Upcycle will also be ready to help where we can, given the interest level and community meetup guidelines.

The TechConnect team offers three (3) different course categories based upon each of these 3 languages, Scratch, Python, and Java. Scratch can be learned by many young students even in elementary school. Python and Java are a bit more challenging, but many middle schoolers pick those up very quickly. Note that Java is even more complex than Python, but we know there are those in our schools that are ready for it. If parents need assistance in helping to decide where their students should start, feel free to contact us directly.

The process to get started coding is very simple. You visit the TechConnect site and create a free account with them. Then you select the “Classes” link on their site and pick the course you wish to begin. It’s that easy. Note on the Classes page you will also see links for the support resources, an online forum, other resources, and the schedule for weekly Zoom meetups to engage with other students.

We’re excited to offer this resource to our community and we hope you take advantage of it.

The Laptop Upcycle team!

PS - If your kids need a laptop to start coding or you know someone who does, you know we can help with that!

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe that January is almost over when it feels like it’s just begun!

We are so grateful to all our December donors via Giving Tuesday, our Facebook campaign and emails. It was our largest end of year donation ever!

And (drum roll), your monetary donations paid our rent, internet fees, and insurance. That means the Lab stays open for our interns, techs and volunteers. You’ve funded our essential workers! Bravo! 

But, let’s remember, even with the changes in the Oval Office and vaccinations on the horizon, COVID and poverty continue to make learning, especially online, a challenge for many students in our community.

We need laptops. Our supply is very, very low.

How can you help? Look around at home - under your bed, desk drawers and closets. Ask around. Solicit your neighbors, family and friends. On your next Zoom or Slack chat, ask your coworkers, IT guys, the boss or friendly customers. You never know who may have an unneeded laptop to donate (with a webcam please!). We need them. The students need them. (And you get a tax receipt!). Click here for our latest donation guide including data security.) Found a laptop (or 20)? Contact us to coordinate a safe drop off or drop us a quick email at giveget@laptopupcycle.og. If you’ve got a LOT of laptops we will (super happily) pick them up! It’s that easy. 

Thanks again for a most rewarding end to 2020 but do not forget to pat yourself on the back. To date, 821 students have benefited from your generosity to Laptop Upcycle! And, if you wanted to donate to our end of year campaigns but simply forgot, just click here.

Thank you!

Did you know that the new CARES Act allows a $300 charitable deduction for individual taxpayers? A bright spot for nonprofits!
For the majority of people who no longer itemize their charitable giving, the CARES Act allows these individual taxpayers to deduct donations to a qualified non profit of up to $300 on their 2020 federal tax return.

Such deductions must be:

• in cash (no property like old clothing or equipment), and
• given to a 501(c)3 public charity (like Laptop Upcycle)

Take advantage of this change, send a cash donation to us before December 31st, and Thank You!

And we mean it -- straight from the Laptop Upcycle Lab in the basement of the United Way building. We are grateful to those businesses, organizations and individuals who think of us throughout the year allowing us to provide laptops to kids in need. With COVID forcing virtual learning everywhere, your generosity has allowed 800 students to get their work done. 
And (drumroll please), we’d like to pat everyone on this list on the virtual, safely distanced back for all your 2020 thinking that’s helped so many.

• Essence Global Advertising who has donated 140 laptops earning our first Laptop Legend award
• Guardian Data Destruction who has donated over 600 laptop bags
• Don Katz and Leslie Larson Foundation who donated funds to purchase US Sprint ConnectedED hotspots to deliver free WIFI to our laptop families.
• Montclair Foundation grants that purchased supplies for our internship program and covered our Lab’s rent and utilities
• Best Buy Community Grant that purchased supplies for our summer internship program 
• The United Way of Montclair for renting their generous space (even during construction!)

As we enter the Season of Giving and increased COVID restrictions, we know that more students will need laptops to get their basic education. We applaud and celebrate these amazing donors for their ongoing thoughtfulness and generosity.
Please consider adding your name to our thankful and thinking list for 2021 with a donation or proposal.

Thank you,

Sarah Damaskos, Co-founder and Board Member 

The Laptop Upcycle Team

School’s out for the rest of the year thanks to COVID-19. DO YOU NEED A COMPUTER? If so, is this YOU?

• Are you in middle school or high school?
• Do you qualify for your school’s free or reduced lunch program?
• Do you need a computer to get your homework done (because you don’t have one or you’re sharing with a brother or sister who is totally hogging it)?  
• What about WIFI? Do you need that too?
• Are you close to Montclair, NJ so we can arrange a contact-less, coronavirus-free pickup?
  

At Laptop Upcycle, we clean up and recycle laptops that are given to us free of charge. And then we give them to high school and middle school students in need. Your laptop is FREE and you can keep it FOREVER. We know you need a working computer to keep up with school – even more so now you they can’t go to school.

Believe it or not, there are NO strings attached. Free laptops for kids who need laptops.

What if you don’t need a computer? Do you have  a friend in need? Someone on your bus or your team or in your classroom (when you used to have a classroom)?

Be kind and share this link to get started.

It’s that easy! We’ll get back to you! Quickly.

PS:  Schools and community groups, we’d like to talk to you. We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has an innovative solution to fill  the school technology gap.  If you have students in need of computers, we’d like to help.  Start here: https://www.laptopupcycle.org/

PPS:  Businesses and individuals, donate your unneeded laptops. It’s a pretty great feeling when you know that your old computer (securely cleaned of course) is helping a kid get to graduation and beyond. Think about all that extra space in your drawer/cabinet/under the bed that you’ve got now. And a 501(c)(3) tax donation receipt to boot. All in all, good karma and good sense for helping students with a computer you don’t even use! So, if you’re interested in good karma, click here: https://www.laptopupcycle.org/donate.html

In the last few weeks we've been pretty busy giving laptops and hot spots to students who need them. Heck, we even gave out 7 just today. Here's one example of why we do it. Please consider helping us help others, and visit our Donate Page. Thanks!

In addition to giving out laptops, Laptop Upcycle provides free WiFi hotspots which are in part supported by the US Sprint ConnectedEd program (thanks President Obama!). We have given out over 185 of them and we have more in stock (need one?). For those of our community supported by this service, see the below update/upgrade from US Sprint on your service.

Dear ConnectED Recipient,
 
With the impact of COVID-19 continuing to unfold across the U.S., many of our partner school districts, schools, libraries and non-profits are closing their doors and preparing contingency plans that include remote learning options.  As institutions consider moving to an online teaching and learning environment for the remainder of the school year to help mitigate the spread of the virus, students who lack home internet access are at an even greater risk of falling behind.  While COVID-19 puts an important (yet unfortunate) spotlight on the Homework Gap issue, Sprint is committed to supporting our partner districts, schools, libraries and non-profits, so we’re taking additional steps to ensure broadband access.
 
Ø  Sprint is increasing our data allotment from 3GB’s to 20GB’s per month/user through June 30, 2020.
 
We hope this additional action will help support contingency plans. 
 
Together, we can help ensure students have the necessary connectivity needed to continue their learning during these uncertain times.