Thanks to a partnership between Corporations For Community Connections (CFCC) and United Way Centraide Canada, a number of not for profit agencies in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington community are scheduled to receive free laptop computers today.
CFCC works with companies to prepare old computers for donation while partner company employees and their families then help to refurbish donated laptops in volunteer workshops. More than 600 decommissioned laptops were donated by Siemens Canada and over 100 Siemens employees volunteered for workshops conducted by CFCC in Oakville, Peterborough and Montréal to refurbish the laptops and preparing them for their new owners.
Philip Schaus, President and CEO of Corporations For Community Connections, states, “We are very grateful to our corporate partners for their commitment to society. The donation and distribution of these laptops is a perfect example of their social and environmental responsibility, supporting education and providing essential access to our digital world.”
Through a partnership with VIA Rail, laptops and smart boards are being delivered to Windsor, London, Oakville, Kingston, Montreal and Quebec City. 60 laptops and 6 smart boards – of the 50 in total donated to the program by SMART Technologies – will be distributed to 20 agencies in the local KFL&A community.
“This is great for local agencies as many of them are unable to afford new technology for themselves or their clients,” said Bhavana Varma, President and CEO of United Way, Kingston Frontenac, Lennox and Addington. “Our community really appreciates the work that CFCC does and this donation will help people in our community directly.”
Local agencies receiving laptops through this initiative:
Rural Frontenac Community Services
Independent Living Centre Kingston
March of Dimes Canada
Epilepsy South Eastern Ontario
Kingston Youth Shelter
Southern Frontenac Community Services
Elizabeth Fry Society of Kingston
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington
Boys & Girls Club of Kingston & Area
Kingston Interval House
Food Sharing Project
Dress For Success Kingston
Girls Inc. of Limestone, Algonquin and Lakeshore
The Canadian Hearing Services
Outreach St. George’s Kingston
Lennox & Addington Interval House
Kingston Literacy & Skills
Community Information Centre of Ottawa 211
Centre for Abuse and Trauma Therapy
Ryandale Shelter for the Homeless
About Corporations for Community Connections
Founded in 2010, Corporations For Community Connections, Inc. (CFCC) is a registered charity whose purpose is to refurbish decommissioned corporate computers for distribution to schools, charities and people in need. To date, CFCC has refurbished over 3600 computers for donation to over 50 charitable organizations and schools serving over 45,000 people. CFCC encourages corporations to adopt refurbishment as a cost effective, socially and environmentally responsible disposal alternative for computers.
For more information on CFCC, visit www.c4cc.ca
About United Way of KFL&A
United Way works with individuals, organizations and key partners in KFL&A to build and strengthen the community, bringing people and resources together to facilitate change. Our vision is a future where people are self-sufficient in a community, where individuals live with hope, dignity and a sense of belonging.
Visit www.unitedwaykfla.ca for more information.
Photo: Matthew Henry (cc)