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With the COVID-19 pandemic increasing the digital divide among low-income households, the Alameda County Workforce Development Board (ACWDB) is teaming up with Goodwill of the Greater East Bay and Corporate eWaste Solutions (CEWS) for a laptop recycling program benefitting local families and individuals.
Interim ACWDB Director Rhonda Boykin said in a statement, “We have seen a sharp rise in people who are completely locked out of the job market because they don’t have laptops or reliable internet services to look for employment or upgrade their skills. We’re committed to partnering to remove barriers to successful training, employment, and retention outcomes.”
The Tech for Good Initiative helps job seekers with hurdles to employment connect online training programs, career center workshops and assorted online job resources and services to assist with career transitions or finding new employment opportunities. Each year the program provides up to 200 units of technology, for free, for ACWBD’s career center participants and qualified families.
Gently used laptops donated to CEWS from Goodwill will be refurbished and outfitted with Windows 10 and Microsoft Office Suite 2010. The free laptops and laptop bags will be given to eligible families and individuals in Alameda County through ACWDB’s career centers and community partners.
Goodwill of the Greater East Bay president and CEO Mike Keenan said, “Access to technology, or a lack thereof, has a direct correlation to an individual’s ability to connect with vital services on their path to self-sufficiency and success.”
“We are excited to begin the work of bridging the technological gap so that every member of our community has access to the tools they need to better themselves and discover their full potential,” Keenan added.
Yuet Kwai Lau, CEO of CEWS, aims to reduce e-waste and repurpose materials for environmental purposes, and said in a recent statement that “making a difference begins at home.”
“That is why CEWS is reaching out locally to impact the residents of Alameda County with tools and resources that would otherwise end up needlessly in landfills causing substantial environmental harm,” Lau said. “We are grateful to provide services to empower those in need with 21st-century technology at no cost to the recipient.”
Applicants must reside in Alameda County and are determined to be low-income based on Housing and Community Development annual income guidelines (family of 1 = $73,100; family of 3 = $94,000; family of 5 = $112,800).
To learn about the Tech for Good Initiative and for service providers information, apply or call ACWDB at 510-259-3836.
Goodwill of the Greater East Bay is now accepting donations of laptops and power cords for Tech for Good. To donate, contact norcalpickup@cewsb2b.com or 510-998-2828.
