Lake County, OH (May 12, 2023) – PCs for People, a national nonprofit working to bridge the digital divide, The Wisdom Collaborative, a nonprofit focused on identifying and helping to solve problems in Lake County, OH, and Lake County Job and Family Services, which provides services to families, children and adults to help restore, maintain or improve their capabilities for self-support and family life, are joining forces to host a distribution event that will deliver low-cost computer hardware and internet access to qualifying low-income residents in Lake County, OH.
The distribution event will be held from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on May 18, 2023, at the Jobs and Family Services building located at 177 Main Street in Painesville. Lake County residents do not have to sign up ahead of time for this event. Interested residents should bring a photo ID and an eligibility letter (if applicable) or proof of being approved for Medicaid, food assistance, or SSI.
This inaugural Lake County distribution event is expected to be the first of many such opportunities for residents who lack personal access to the internet for health, education, employment, and human connection purposes. The PCs for People team will be on-site to make sure each computer recipient knows how to operate and navigate their new device.
Lake County residents may also bring their unwanted working or non-working technology (laptops, towers, monitors, cables, cords, accessories) to the event. PCs for People will collect and then securely recycle or repurpose these items for future customers.
“We are proud to host what will hopefully be the first of many technology distribution and e-recycling collections events in Lake County, OH,” said Dani Valentin, National Account Manager at PCs for People. “Our work is powered by individuals and businesses who choose to recycle their technology with us, and we are excited to be able to facilitate this opportunity for Lake County residents to give back to their community.”
“The Wisdom Collaborative is excited to participate in this first step to achieving digital equity in our county,” said Dale Stefancic, chair of the Wisdom Collaborative Board of Directors. “We have built a strong and positive relationship with PCs for People that will soon yield direct benefits for Lake County individuals.”
“Lake County Job and Family Services is grateful to partner with the Wisdom Collaborative and PCs for People to ensure that every resident in Lake County has access to computers and internet,” said Job and Family Services Director Suzanne Casar.
A one-hour public virtual session was held on April 12, 2023, to explain the new partnership between The Wisdom Collaborative and PCs for People and their goals for Lake County. The recording of this session is now available online. Any individual, business, government agency, funder, or community organization interested in helping low-income residents and strengthening the local economy is invited to view the presentation.
About PCs For People
PCs for People is a national nonprofit working to get low-cost quality computers and internet into the homes of individuals, families, and nonprofits with low income. By recycling and refurbishing computers, PCs for People provides a valuable service to businesses, families, and the planet by keeping computers out of landfills and repurposing them to advance digital inclusion. Since 1998, PCs for People has become a national leader in digital inclusion by serving over 825,000 individuals, providing 260,000 home computers, connecting 92,000 households to the internet, and responsibly recycling over 13 million pounds of electronic waste through the secure e-waste recycling service. To learn more visit www.pcsforpeople.org.
Media Contact:
Allison Coleman
acoleman@pcsforpeople.org
About The Wisdom Collaborative
The Wisdom Collaborative, established in 2021, is a 501 (c )3 organization engaging individuals aged 50 and older in activities that help solve issues in Lake County, Ohio. Our inaugural initiative to reduce elder abuse and fraud has led to an ongoing community partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Elder Justice Initiative. Our most recent initiative is to identify gaps in digital access in Lake County and collaborate with partners to facilitate digital inclusion for all who need it. For more information, go to https://wisdomcollaborative.net.
Media Contact:
Dale Stefancic
440-463-7095
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