Denver, August 5, 2021: Local nonprofit PCs for People is proud to announce they have acquired and merged with fellow nonprofit KidsTek. This merger will allow PCs for People, an organization dedicated to bridging the digital divide by providing computers and internet to low-income individuals, to expand their digital educational offerings by employing the twenty-years proven curriculum of KidsTek. Programming will include technology skills training for students (elementary through high school) and adults.
PCs for People, a national organization originally founded in Minnesota, has been serving Denver since 2015 by recycling and refurbishing used tech devices, donated by individuals and corporations, and then providing them at an affordable price to low-income individuals, families, and nonprofits. They have grown to become a national leader in digital inclusion, not only providing more than 162,000 computers people nationwide but also connecting over 70,000 families to the internet. This work is vital as it has become increasingly difficult to access healthcare, education, and employment opportunities without the use of computers and online access.
KidsTek, founded in 2001, prepares students for academic, career, and personal success by increasing tech literacy at Colorado’s highest-needs schools. They first partnered with PCs for People in 2016 to provide free computers to all students who completed their high school program. As part of this new merger, educational offerings will expand to include first-time computer user education and IC3 and A+ certifications to adults for increased job success.
“Since 2015, PCs for People Denver has been providing the tools to address the digital divide in the United States,” said Alejandro Dopico, executive director of PCs for People. “This merger with KidsTek allows us to now not only provide the tools needed for success but also educate people about how to use those tools. From elementary to high school students, and now also adults getting their first computer and people looking to earn IT certifications for the workforce, everyone can benefit from this partnership.”
“Our merger with PCs for People not only adds an education arm to their comprehensive technology accessibility offerings, but it also expands our reach nationally and opens the door to the addition of adult education classes focusing on industry-recognized tech certifications that we have been providing to high schoolers for years,” said Richard Liner, co-founder of KidsTek. “We are looking forward to serving the Park Hill community at the new classroom in the PCs for People facility and to providing more digital literacy opportunities to our under-served families in Denver and around the country.”
