The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County has partnered with Florida Power and Light Co., Comcast, Office Depot and the Palm Beach County School District to ensure that all of the district’s 180,000+ students will have internet access as well as the devices needed for remote learning. Schools are scheduled to be closed until at least April 15 and online learning is set to begin on March 30.
The Honda Classic and Honda Classic CARES also said it could contribute $30,000 from its discretionary fund to buy 100 laptops.
The School District of Palm Beach County says there is an immediate need for about 11,000 devices.
Public contributions are also being sought via three options with a $275 donation providing one device:
An online contribution can be made at Educationfoundationpbc.org (Look for the donate now button on the rotating main image.)
A cash contribution can be made to The Education Foundation and mailed to 505 South Congress Avenue, Boynton Beach, FL 33426.
Gently used devices on an approved list may also be donated:
- iPads, 5th generation or higher with 32 GB or more of memory
- Microsoft Surface Pros with 4 GB of memory/128 GB minimum hard drive
- Apple laptop, 2013 or later with 4 GB memory/256 GB minimum hard drive
- Dell Chromebook, 4 GB memory/32 GB minimum hard drive
- Dell Windows desktop or laptop, 4G memory/128 GB hard drive minimum
Devices may be dropped off at any Office Depot location in Palm Beach County.
Low income households without internet access are encouraged to apply online for the two months of free internet access offered by Comcast (www.internetessentials.com/covid19). In addition, Comcast has made available its Xfinity Wifi hotspots to anyone that needs them for free and is giving all customers unlimited data for no additional charge.
“When our backs are up against a wall, the true spirit of America reveals itself,” said Education Foundation President and CEO James S. Gavrilos. “Palm Beach County is a generous community with committed business partners. Together, we will weather this storm.”
For further information, email Gavrilos at James@Educationfoundationpbc.org
