What does your company do with old technology? Ask your company if they will: 

 TECHIE LABS: Back to School
 

Computers and cords and RAM sticks are everywhere in our AZ StRUT warehouse as we prepare and supply our over 40 Techie Labs with hands-on learning materials. We turn donated electronic waste into learning materials.

We have crates full of laptops ready to roll out and deliver to Techie Lab schools as Camilla, our Digital Equity manager, shows. Students get real-world practice on these devices as they develop trouble shooting and maintenance skills for life-long success.

There are stacks of desk tops like this one which was delivered to Mesa Community College last month. Students will dig into them and learn hands-on skills while contributing to our Circular Economy approach to electronic waste. 

Our Education Manager, Rich Ence, transports supplies to each of our partner schools so teachers and students can work on refurbishing computers and learning skills to pass CompTia certifications. 

AZ StRUT is grateful for your support which turns into individual impact stories. Together we are changing lives.

Last week a former Mesa Community College Techie Lab student, R.E., came by to donate some of his unused tech. While here, he shared his Techie Lab story and agreed to let us share it with you. Here are his words from an email he sent to us:

I'm a classic example of a "non-traditional student." Since HS graduation in 1989, I attempted many times to finish college with a degree in Information Technology. However, so many personal challenges had delayed this goal by 30 years!
I took the BPC 170/270 series of classes, taught by Mr. Otto Weeden, III. In BPC 270, our major class project involved refurbishing used PCs and producing a working system from each one. Otto explained to us that AZStRUT had donated the PCs for us to use, and he spoke in glowing terms of StRUT's value to the community and their contributions to education.
Our PCs were really nice, probably salvaged from a business office.  Despite lots of wear and tear, I was able to build it back up into a respectable, working system, as were many other students in my class. One huge obstacle for entry-level IT professionals is the cost of "tools of the trade", and hardware and software like the kind we'll encounter on the job. AZStRUT facilitated this access, and enabled practical, hands-on experience with genuine equipment, replicating an authentic Technical Support work environment in the safety and security of our classroom.
We couldn't have earned our grades without the generosity of AZStRUT's donors, and the diligence and dedication of AZStRUT's own staff and volunteers. I'm grateful, honored, and indebted to AZStRUT for this golden opportunity, which indeed launched me directly into gainful employment and restarted a rewarding career, not merely in IT, but in Cybersecurity education!    T H A N K  Y O U ! ! !
 

R.E. is just one of over 3,000 Techie Lab students continuing to achieve their goals in Arizona. Funders for our Techie Labs include the APS Foundation, Cardinals Charities, Intel, onsemi Giving Now, SRP, Thunderbird Charities and all of our equipment donors.

AZ StRUT New Partner: 

Grand Canyon University CityServe

GCU CityServe Director Nathan Cooper displays a few of the refurbished laptops that will be donated.

Since its inception in 2021, Grand Canyon University CityServe has distributed about $13 million of household goods and other necessities, impacting an estimated 50,000 families in Arizona.

Now the GCU-based outreach ministry, through an agreement with Arizona Students Refurbishing Used Technology (AZStRUT), has expanded its services to address a growing need – computers.