As Linn County moves into a Phase 2 reopening from Oregon’s stay-at-home order, Nerds Abroad is transitioning back to our efforts with building the Empowerment Grant – grants to support local underrepresented entrepreneurs in and around the Willamette Valley. As we transition back to our regular operations, we wanted to share a summary of our COVID-19 response, and give a hearty thank you to all of the donors who helped us make such a huge impact. We are pleased to say that we sourced, refurbished, and re-homed 30 computers in 30 days during the COVID-19 initial outbreak.
Initially, we had a stockpile of technology ready to be used for the Empowerment Grant, so we put out an offer on a local Facebook group in our hometown of Albany. We were overwhelmed by receiving 27 requests for technology within one hour. All of our current stock was placed in new homes within 20 minutes! So, we suddenly found ourselves in need of requesting donations. We are thankful that our requests within our networks yielded the required technology within a matter of days.
Overall, we placed 34 computers between the start of the stay-at-home order until now. The majority of donations were placed within the first 30 days. Most items donated were older laptops that were erased and re-flashed with ChromeOS using a tool called Cloudready. This tool effectively turns any old Windows or Mac computer into a Chromebook. Since the most requested computer was a Chromebook for student use, we were able to meet this need quickly and efficiently.
Some specific feedback that we heard:
“He [my son] has already started his math studies, thank you so much, You are heaven sent!!”
“I am now able to continue my online classes thanks to this Chromebook”
“I raise my grandkids and can now teach them at home.”
…and much more.
We are appreciative of our supporting community during this difficult time and are hopeful for the future. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation in technology or cash to Nerds Abroad for us to continue our mission of supporting business and technology education in our communities!
(All images in this blog are used by permission)