Laptop Upcycle
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Give Local for Big Impacts

12/29/2020

 
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Whether it’s end-of-year giving or planning for the upcoming year, we are grateful to our donors who give locally to create a big impact for our community. As a nonprofit based in Essex County, New Jersey, we are 100% donation funded with no paid staff. It’s bootstraps and your generosity that do it all.
And what, exactly, has your generosity accomplished to date? Here it is in black and white as we close out the end of 2020 -- a memorable year that is even more stark for those kids who don’t have a computer for virtual learning.
  1. 800+ donated laptops to students in need. Montclair is our central focus but we support non-profits and agencies such as Sister-to-Sister, Newark Kids Code, Greater Newark Lifecamp, Succeed2Gether, Westfield Fun Club, Family Promise of Essex County, Inc., Human Needs Food Pantry and more.
  2. Our student internship program consists of high school volunteers, college interns and adult leaders. We teach hands-on computer and technology skills that students can use for college and career development. No experience is required, and donated time qualifies as community service.  
  3. Expanded reach in NJ. The Laptop Upcycle mission and model work:  used laptops are donated, data is wiped and each device is refurbished for low income students -- by students. We’re rolling out this successful program to organizations in Ramapo, Westfield and Orange.
  4. We’re “green”! More than 2 tons of e-Waste has been upcycled and saved from landfills. Equipment donations that are too old or that cannot be refurbished are stripped for spare parts and/or resale; the remains are responsibly recycled.
  5. The pipeline is expanding. Not only are many families finally figuring out what to do with their old laptops, corporations large and small are seeing the positive impact of donating laptops as part of their refresh programs.

We need your laptops. Your financial support. Your know-how. And, please spread the word.
Please donate here.  Or let us know if you have laptops to donate. Or, become a volunteer!

Thank you

2020 Charitable donations - a tax change this year that helps us. And you.

12/19/2020

 
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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!

Donate here

Imagine Online School from a Smartphone

11/30/2020

 
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COVID is terrible for all of us, but can you imagine what virtual learning is like for a student or family who can’t afford a home computer? 

Please help Laptop Upcycle continue our mission to provide free refurbished laptops and internet access to these students.

To date, with the generous support of our donors, we have accomplished so much:
  • 800 laptops to low income students
  • 175 internet hotspots
  • 1400 laptop given by you (of which 600 have been used for refurbishment parts and responsibly data wiped then recycled) 
  • 100 interns trained
  • Expanded our mission and model to three NJ communities

Donate Here
Any amount is appreciated. We are 100% funded by your contributions that help us refurbish donated laptops and provide wifi connectivity. (Not surprisingly, many laptops need a little TLC before they’re usable!).

Have a laptop (or many) you don’t need?  Click here to let us know. We will pick it up, securely wipe the hard drive, refurbish it and quickly get it to a waiting student.

Thank you for your generous support!  We couldn’t do it without you!!!
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John Wisniewski, Co-founder and President of The Laptop Upcycle Team

Thanksgiving - Our Supporters

11/28/2020

 
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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.
Donate
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Thank you,

Sarah Damaskos, Co-founder and Board Member 

The Laptop Upcycle Team

Is This You? Online Learning Without a Computer

5/15/2020

 
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

You're Welcome!

4/16/2020

 
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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!

Upcycle HotSpots Upgraded for COVID-19

3/21/2020

 
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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.

Lab Hours Suspended

3/18/2020

 
Laptop Upcycle has suspended our lab hours in light of the progression of the COVID-19 virus and our shared need to limit social contact. This policy applies to laptop deliveries and open lab volunteer hours. We will re-evaluate our policy as events dictate. Please note the following:
  • If you need a laptop or free WiFi device, we have them in stock and will make them available to you for pick up without the customary personal primer. Please use the existing request system and we will coordinate a pick up for you from Jon Bonesteel's house in Montclair, where he will leave the device(s) on his porch for you to pick up without personal contact.
  • If you need support for an existing device, please email us at giveget@laptopupcycle.org. We will reply to you and determine a way to assist you.
  • Our weekend lab volunteer sessions will be suspended indefinitely. We will let you know here and through our other channels when we can restart these sessions.
Thank you for your understanding and support.

The Laptop Upcycle Team 

Free WiFi Hot Spots Available

3/10/2020

 
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Since our creation over three years ago, Laptop Upcycle has enjoyed working with administrators and teachers in our public schools to deliver laptops and free WiFi to students who need the support and to help eliminate the technology gap for them. As we face uncertainty related to the COVID-19 virus and the possibility of remote (from home) schooling, Laptop Upcycle would like to remind the community that we have both laptops and free WiFi Access Points available to those in need. Our general policy is to give students laptops or families free WiFi if they qualify for free or reduced lunch in our schools or if a counselor or principal verifies the need.

We have been in communication with our contacts in each of the Middle schools and Montclair High School to inform them that we are prepared to distribute laptops and/or free WiFi to students who qualify. Please contact your school counselor if you have the need or you may submit an online request on the Get Technology link on our page here.

About Free WiFi

The ability for Laptop Upcycle to provide free WiFi Hot Spots to families in need stems from generous grants from the Leslie Larson and Don Katz Foundation based here in Montclair. Leslie and Don have long been supporters of our efforts and innovation in education both locally and in Newark, NJ. Ms. Larson served on the Montclair Board of Education as a Board member for 6 years and Mr. Katz is on the Board of Uncommon Schools in Newark which consistently rank among the highest performing public charter schools. Additionally, Don and his company, Audible, have made many impact producing investments and championed many programs in the Newark Public Schools. The US Sprint ConnectedEd program also generously supports this Laptop Upcycle program.

Laptop Upcycle Now Supports Other Nonprofits

3/4/2020

 
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We at Laptop Upcycle are passionate about supporting our local students. In addition to handing out over 530 laptops to students who need them and over 130 free WiFi access points to families, we host weekly volunteer sessions in our lab where students learn real world technical skills and give back to the community as they prepare laptops for others.

Now we're looking to expand the breadth of our services by providing free laptops and work stations to local nonprofits who support our young adults locally in any way.

Here's how it works:

If your nonprofit organization supports students in any way, Laptop Upcycle will provide you with top of the line refurbished laptops or work stations to help you deliver and improve your service offerings. We will assist your organization in multiple ways, for example:
  • Laptop Upcycle will deliver individual laptops or desktop work stations for your staff.
  • Laptop Upcycle can upgrade or establish a lab environment for you with networked work stations running a state of the art Linux Mint operating system. Just see what we've done for the Sister to Sister organization in Montclair.
  • Laptop Upcycle will accept your older Microsoft Windows (Windows & and higher) laptops and upgrade them to a Linux Mint operating system which delivers better performance and maintains compatibility with MS Office files.
We are excited by this new service and look forward to working with our fellow nonprofits locally. To get the process started, just send us an email.

Thanks from the Laptop Upcycle team!
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