Retired Rally Laptops Find New, Happy Homes

At Rally, we love our Apple laptops. Typically we use them day in and day out for three years or more, after which they enjoy their next phase of life.

In 2014, we started a donation program to place them into good use at “retirement homes”—organizations that would appreciate them until their useful life is over. Through the course of last year, we donated 95 MacBooks valued at nearly $30,000 to Colorado nonprofits and educational institutions. I’m happy to share a few of their stories.

I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County

ln October, the I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County (IHAD) put 10 Rally-donated MacBook Pros to immediate good use. Each year, the organization selects a cohort of 50-60 low-income “Dreamers,” at-risk kids who are partnered with community members. These Dreamers are encouraged in elementary school to believe that college is an attainable goal, and as they grow up they receive extensive career and college preparation guidance, sponsored campus visits, and assistance with the application process.

The Dreamer students are using the laptops to complete coursework, projects, and internships as they prepare to enter college. IHAD staff members use the laptops to raise needed funds for programs through grant writing, as well as to recruit, interview, and train tutors and mentors. IHAD’s program director will use her laptop to manage the caseload for 60 new Dreamers—tracking attendance, grades, and case notes as they begin their journey toward high school graduation.

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