At National Life, there are many ways we do good for those in our communities other than writing checks. One of the most impactful and ongoing donations we made over the past year has been driven by our IT department.
As IT began the process of upgrading our devices, they realized that the “old” ones still had life in them. Led by Dana Potter, Danny LeBlanc, and Magesh Elangovan, the team reached out to determine if any nonprofits had a need for refurbished devices. They quickly learned the need was overwhelming, especially once Covid-19 hit.
Over the course of 18 months, IT refurbished 252 laptops, tablets, or monitors and partnered with Corporate Communications to donate them as well as some used keyboards and docks to a variety of nonprofits in Texas and Vermont including The Family Place, Washington County Mental Health Services, Denton County Friends of the Family, and Prevent Child Abuse Vermont. 152 of those have been handed out since March 2020. The devices were in turn given to clients who use them for telehealth appointments. They’ve been referred to as a literal “lifeline,” allowing at-risk individuals to get the support they desperately need while they shelter in place.
The other added benefit of donating these devices, as Dana noted, is we keep them out of the landfill. Truly a winning program all around!
“WOW. JUST WOW. I REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY OTHER THAN I AM PERSONALLY BLOWN AWAY BY THIS, TOTALLY MOVED AND ACTUALLY VERKLEMPT. I WAS ON A LEADERSHIP CALL WHEN THIS EMAIL CAME THROUGH AND LET MY COLLEAGUES KNOW, FIGHTING BACK THE WATER IN MY EYES. SIMILARLY, THEY WERE BLOWN AWAY…THANK YOU!!!!!”
JOHN CACERES
COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
WASHINGTON COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Feature photo (L to R): John Caceres and Dana Potter