Happy summer, everyone! It has been very hot outside all across BC this past week and we hope you’ve all been finding ways to stay cool and hydrated! Our staff are certainly very thankful to be able to come to work in an air-conditioned building.
 
June was a great month for us at BC Tech! On a bittersweet note, two of our interns concluded their internship with us at the beginning of the month. We would like to thank Angeline and Mitchell for all of their hard work, and wish them the best moving forward with their careers in I.T! On our LinkedIn we have been posting a series called Where Are They Now? / Where Will They Go? You can watch Angeline and Mitchell’s episodes now!
 
We hired nine new CFS Interns. Welcome, Michael, Nicholas, Luke, Carrie, Alston, Norvin, Maelle, Anshul, and Mia! We also added two new directors to our board. A very warm welcome to Harry Johal and Stephanie Chan!

The beginning of the month also marked the announcement of the CEO Pledge. Microsoft is an incredible partner to the CFS program, and we are lucky to have them! Corporate donations are always needed, join the Pledge today!
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​As always, a huge thank you to our donors for making what we do possible. We would like to highlight Photon Control and Frozen Mountain Software (we are excited to do another lunch and learn!) for their donations.
 
Your Donations Matter.
Stay safe and healthy.

Hello, everyone! We hope the month of May was kind to you.

​We received a lovely thank-you letter from Smithers Community Services Association. Kind words from our clients are such a great reminder of how important it is for everyone to have access to tech in British Columbia. 

​We would also like to highlight a donation from Arc’teryx at the beginning of the month. They donated 125 laptops to BC Tech that will be distributed back to grateful British Columbians. Thank you Arc’teryx for taking steps to help reduce the digital divide and your company’s e-waste. By seeing future opportunity in your company’s used tech, you saved 30,000 KG of fossil fuels, 2750 KG of chemicals, and 625 tons of water.

​We’re super excited for what’s to come in June! Partners at Microsoft and Computers for Success Canada will announce the #CEOPledge, a call to action to CEOs to aid in reducing the digital divide. We will be sharing more information about the #CEOPledge soon as it unfolds and new companies take the pledge. Keep an eye on our website and social media.
As always, stay safe and healthy and we’ll see you next month for another monthly update.
 
Your donations matter.

We hope everyone has been enjoying the gorgeous weather this past month! We’ve had a busy month in-shop at BC Tech, reorganizing and preparing for the arrival of our new interns. We got all new flooring in the workshop and reorganized all of our work stations. Spring cleaning at its finest!
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Our April started out with a screech this year when we released our April Fools contribution: a mocumentary called “The Sounds of BC Tech.” Did you miss it? It’s on our YouTube Channel or available below! Subscribe while you're there, we have more great content coming soon.

While our staff have been working hard rearranging our workshop space so that we can best serve the needs of our clients, they’ve also been filling regular orders. We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again. They’re rockstars!

As always, thank you to our incredible donors for continuing to give us the means to do what we do. We’d like to highlight the generous contributions from Sage Software, Columbia Interior Investment, and the City of Burnaby this past month. Thank you!

We’re still highly in need of donations, especially laptops, so that we can keep supporting schools, individuals and communities. If your organization plans on upgrading your tech soon consider donating your old equipment. It’s safe and easy! Read more about how to donate and the steps we take to ensure your data is protected by visiting our website.

Your donations matter.

Until next time, stay healthy, and stay safe.

​This month all of our staff were hustling hard to get computers out the door for our fiscal year end. We wrapped up the Connecting Families program and delivered 1,400 computers in 6 weeks! In addition to Connecting Families, our techs continued to work on computer orders for schools, non-profits, and individual recipients. Our technicians truly are rock stars!

​BC Tech was in the news this month! Check out our article in partnership with the Vancouver Sun here.
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Our friends at TELUS also released a promotional video about the Internet for Good program. We partner with TELUS on this program: eligible individual recipients receive $10/ month internet from TELUS, and a computer from us. Watch the video now!
 
On March 31, we had to say goodbye to a number of our CFS+ Interns. We’re sad to see them go, but we know that they will go on to do great things. Thank you to Will, Matt, Kenny and Peter for all of your hard work and for sharing your journey in the “Where Will They Go” video segments available on our LinkedIn page.
 
Our fiscal year end has come to a close. Thanks to our donors, we received 10,287 computers/laptops and delivery of 6193 back to clients. Another 4197 were, unfortunately, sent for recycling due to age or condition. We had a lovely thank you letter from one client.

​Your Donations Matter.
 
Until next time, stay healthy and stay safe.

We can’t believe it’s already March — 2021 seem to be flying by and we’ve been busier than ever!

In February we shipped out a total of 802 computers, 439 of which were for the Connecting Families program. We’d like to extend a ginormous thank you to all of our technicians and warehouse staff for working so tirelessly to fill tech requests. They’re all heroes!

​We are still in great need of laptop donations. Are you wondering if we can take your old laptop? We accept laptops that are iSeries or better, and are Windows 10 compliant. To learn more about the types of donations we need click here.
 
We received some large donations from new donors this past month as well! Thank you to Hootsuite, Cloud Collective and Kwantlen Polytechnic University for your support of BC Tech and the Computers for Schools Plus program. By donating your surplus tech, you have committed to helping in reducing e-waste and the digital divide.
 
We also recently learned that the Computers for Schools program is going to be used as a case study in an upcoming marketing textbook! It’s so neat to see all the ways our organization helps impact learning opportunities for youth.
 
Keep your eye on the Vancouver Sun in late March, we’ll be promoting a great piece on what BC Tech is all about for those need to know where their tech donations should be given. J
 
​Your Donations Matter.

Until next time, stay healthy, and stay safe!

​The beginning of the new year has come and gone and we have already had an incredible start to 2021!
January marked the relaunch of the Connecting Families program, so our technicians have been busy prepping computers to be distributed. We would like to thank all of our new and returning donors who have already contributed to BC Tech in January for the support. Laptops are currently our most in-demand product. If you have used tech you would like to donate you can do so here.

We were also able to onboard a new technician to our team of CFS Interns. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic BC Tech has been able to continue to safely provide job experience for youth interested in careers in IT and technology. We’re always looking for new people to work with! Visit our website to find out how to work with us and choose the best option for you!

​Finally, an incredible story was written by Cornelia Naylor from the Burnaby Now about the positive impact tech donations can have on families. This is just one story that showcases how donations matter to the hundreds of families we help on a monthly basis. You can read the full article here. 

​Your Donations Matter.

Until next time, stay healthy and stay safe.

November has come and gone and now it’s time for our technicians to turn into workshop elves!  We spent a lot of the month preparing for the re-launch of Connecting Families in January including testing and cleaning 1400 monitors in addition to our regular work on Computers for Schools Plus program orders, and TELUS Internet for Good.
 
The results for the Burnaby Board of Trade BBEA Non Profit of the Year came in, and we were thrilled to be a finalist! It was tough competition with so many organizations doing some amazing work, especially in response to COVID. Once again, congratulations to Burnaby Hospital Foundation for winning Non Profit of the Year.

October has been business as usual with our technicians working hard to meet all our orders. They’ve all had their hands full finalizing orders from schools and students from the ‘back to school’ rush.
 
We participated in Waste Reduction Week from October 19-25 by sharing some of the environmental impacts our largest donors generate by donating their equipment for reuse – and not sending it for recycling. Their contributions not only help the environment, but they’ve also collectively contributed thousands of computers that get refurbished and sent out to communities across BC. Metro Vancouver also made a really cool video at our workshop for Waste Reduction Week to talk about their donations with us. It’s a great chance to hear more from our Executive Director Mary-Em Waddington talking about our work and goals to help families.
 
Watch: https://twitter.com/MetroVancouver/status/1320447606686965760

​We’re continuing to see a high demand in laptops as the preferred choice from non-profits and low-income families. However, we’ve also seen great success with our new option to add webcams and USB Wi-Fi adapters as part of our desktop computer packages. Adding the option makes online education and working from home more accessible for everyone, especially as laptop donations have been critically low. Your donations are what allow us to keep supporting the local community and we are always grateful!
 
How to donate: https://www.reusetechbc.ca/donate.html  ​

​We also have some good news for our tech drive with London Drugs!  It was quite successful, and we were able to collect 147 pieces of equipment. Can you believe the amazing amount of donations made by individuals coming together to help the community? Stay tuned to our social media to keep updated on their arrival!

A special thank you to the individuals and organizations who have donated to us throughout the month. It’s thanks to donations that we managed to refurbish and send out 451 computers and laptops to schools, non-profits, libraries, and Indigenous communities. Bulkley Valley School District, Vancouver School District, Khalsa School, Youth Leadership Society of British Columbia, Mission First Nation and Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Centre.
 
Your Donations Matter
 
Stay safe and healthy. 

Three new youth technicians joined us as part of the CFS Intern Program during September. The CFI program provides paid work experience to youth wanting to start their career in IT. They’ve all been fast learners and its always great to see students who are excited to learn and grow; and how this experience will impact their future careers. 
 
The tech drive with London Drugs  wrapped up on September 23. This partnership also supported the Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan CFS+ affiliates . It was a great opportunity to help people outside the Lower Mainland donate their tech. A big thanks to Clint Mahlman for his leadership and support in the community. London Drugs has been a great partner for many local businesses and the Girl Guides of BC (who also received 15 laptops from us this month)  during the pandemic. Everyone we worked with at London Drugs was super helpful! And a big thanks to everyone who donated their old tech! Be sure to keep an eye out on our social media to see the results!
 
Schools across BC opened back up this month with a mix of online and in-person learning. Although the way students are learning is constantly shifting, the need for students to have access to technology won’t change. We continue to support students and schools as much as we can, especially with there being more online learning. This month we sent out 391 computers to schools across BC including the Bulkley Valley School District, A D Rundle Middle School, and Guildford Park Secondary.
 
Our Executive Director Mary-Em Waddington was interviewed on the CTV Morning Live to discuss our efforts to help schools and families during the pandemic. Listen here: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2032437

We also applied to Burnaby Board of Trade Burnaby - Business Excellence Awards in the category of  Non-profit of the Year. Our nomination packaged shared how we helped the community throughout COVID-19 by forming or enhancing community partnerships to direct more equipment to low income family homes. We won this award in 2012 and would be ecstatic if we manage to win this year! There are so many great organizations providing support to communities this year that it’s looking like some tough competition. Fingers crossed!
 
As we continue the TELUS Internet for Good Initiative, we are always looking for ways to improve our process. We’ve recently added options to allows participants to add webcams or wireless adapters when they order the desktop package. One reason for our high demand in laptops is because of the built-in webcam for video calls; adding these options makes it more accessible for everyone, especially as laptop donations have been critically low. Your donations are what allow us to keep initiatives like these going to support the local community!
 
How to donate: https://www.reusetechbc.ca/donate.html 
 
We would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who have donated to us throughout the month. With these donations, we managed to refurbish and send out over 686 computers and laptops in September to schools, non-profits, libraries, and Indigenous communities. Our refurbished tech has gone to helping some wonderful non-profit organizations this month such as MOSAIC, Pacific Immigrant Resources Society, Thunderbird Community Centre, and ISS of BC Burnaby.
 
Your Donations Matter
 
Stay safe and healthy. ​

Our work has carried on strong throughout August as we continue to support the community the best we can. The TELUS Internet for Good initiative is ongoing and has helped hundreds of families. We have also seen an increase in individual donors during the past month and it means a lot to us. Even with the challenges of the pandemic, people are still able to donate and support the community. It’s great to see individuals coming together to help those in need.
 
This month we announced our partnership with London Drugs for a tech drive running from August 4 – September 23. For those who can’t make it out to our Burnaby warehouse, this is a great opportunity to still donate at your nearest London Drugs! They’re helping to collect used laptops, desktop computers, tablets and smartphones and we handle the refurbishment and distribution. They’re also working with the other CFS+ affiliates in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
 
Our Executive Director Mary-Em Waddington was interviewed on the Lynda Steele show to discuss the partnership: have a listen here https://omny.fm/shows/steele-drex/bc-tech-company-and-the-greater-good?fbclid=IwAR2fDyItEVPDyeSvoCwErTbQCBZsd1-wbPbZR2Ev9zSBYpm2tChmkToWI6o

The end of August also signals the return of the back to school season. We are still committed to helping schools and students. Whether it be online or in the classroom, we are still sending out computers to make sure no students get left behind. COVID cases in B.C. are still rising so let’s all try to do our part where we can. We continue to see requests as part of COVID-19 response so our job isn’t done yet! Our technicians are working hard but we are always in need of donations. If you have any tech you can donate, we need to replenish our stock to continue helping BC students and families.
 
How to donate: https://www.reusetechbc.ca/donate.html 
 
Once again, a big thank you to all the individuals and organizations who have donated to us throughout the pandemic. With these donations, we managed to refurbish and send out over 250 computers and laptops in August to schools, non-profits, libraries, and Indigenous communities. Our refurbished tech has gone to helping some wonderful non-profit organizations this month such as PALS Autism Society, Burnaby Neighbourhood House, and Dixon Transition Society.
 
Your Donations Matter
 
Stay safe and healthy. ​