The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County partnered with the Florida Power & Light Company, Comcast and Office Depot to host a Device Drive in response to the School District of Palm Beach County’s immediate need for electronic devices as students transitioned to distance learning as a result of COVID-19.
The goal of the Device Drive was to raise $100,000 and invite the community to contribute through online and ‘Text to Give’ platforms and donate “gently used” electronic devices at Office Depot drop-off locations throughout Palm Beach County.
With the School District of Palm Beach County shifting to distance learning, the foundation and the business community wanted to ensure that every student had access to the internet, supported by the two month free offer through Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, and a device to continue their education.
In just two weeks, with the community’s generous support, 83 “gently used” devices were donated, and 193 donors contributed $117,904 to the Device Drive. As a result, the Education Foundation purchased 634 new Chromebooks, which were delivered along with the 83 donated devices to the School District for distribution.
Due to the generosity of FPL, Comcast, Office Depot, the Boca West Children’s Foundation, Aetna, Mirasol Foundation, Ventus Charitable Foundation, Walmart (Stores #3011, #7299, #5704, #2396), the Gold Coast Credit Union, LexisNexis Risk Solutions and numerous individual donors throughout the community, this initiative continues to be a success as the community works together to ensure that the needs of students are met.
The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County is the nexus of Palm Beach County’s public-school system, the private sector and the community. The foundation facilitates student achievement by supporting high-quality public education through partnerships, grants, events and public awareness. Visit www.educationfoundationpbc.org to learn how you can support the students, teachers, principals and schools in Palm Beach County.
