HAPPY RETIREMENT, 

Rich!

Rich Ence, our AZ StRUT Education Manager for the past four years, has worn lots of different hats as a teacher of many subjects including business, marketing, computer basics and maintenance, coding and gaming. Perhaps the hat that describes him the best is his Techie Claus with a Techie Cause cap shown in the photo below. 

Each December and May, he brought AZ StRUT refurbished laptops to our Techie Lab students who achieved goals in our partnership classes. Many students nicknamed him Santa Claus for his special gifts. Last year, for example, over 1,300 Cartwright School District sixth graders received a free, refurbished laptop at the end of their school year, all delivered to them by Rich. 
 

"This is mine to keep.... forever?!" exclaimed one of the students.
 

Before coming to AZ StRUT Rich was a Techie Lab partner instructor at Dobson High and experienced firsthand how impactful AZ StRUT donated technology was to his classrooms full of students learning to troubleshoot and refurbish computers. Hands-on learning in Techie Labs has proven to be engaging and effective.  

Under Rich's leadership AZ StRUT Techie Lab partner schools have grown to fifty-one locations with over 3,000 students enrolled annually. 

Techie Lab teachers are full of praise for his support and understanding of their work. One Techie Lab instructor shared this about Rich, "The students are always asking when he is coming out to visit.  Our whole innovation center has been transformed because of his assistance and help with equipment.  We now have training devices to use for our cybersecurity classes teaching the hardware portion of the curriculum."

Rich gets a little emotional when he talks about the impact of the Techie Lab program. "Some students are getting their very first personal computer from AZ StRUT while others are laying the groundwork for future careers in computer engineering. I think about them with every computer we are able to refurbish and give out."

We wish Rich a happy, well-deserved retirement. We hope you really disconnect your alarm clock and spend lots more time with your family. 

But don't forget to visit your AZ StRUT family, too, and wear your Techie Claus hat. 

​

Cactus High Techie Lab Achievements

On the subject of Techie Labs, check out what our Cactus High School Techie Lab achieved this year. 

The Cactus High School Cyber Security class completed a project called TechSafe Outreach, a community service project submitted for a Future Business Leaders of America competition.

There were 11 students involved in the laptop computer refurbishing project in conjunction with AZ StRUT. Students removed the backs of the laptops to insert solid state drives for installing the operating system, Linux Mint 22.0. After installing the operating system, they updated the laptops and verified functionality of components like the keyboard and camera. The last step was cleaning them so they would be ready to be picked back up by AZ StRUT and donated. Laptops like these were donated to learners in Techie Camps like Title 1 students, veterans, or refugees.

Although the students said it was a little difficult and time consuming to learn how to load Linux Mint, it was quite enjoyable to do.

AZ StRUT partners with over 50 schools in our Techie Lab program and we applaud Cactus High School for their achievement giving special recognition to instructor Ken Mattern who led the students in this class. 

Students refurbishing computers. 

A WIN WIN FOR ASU Students and AZ StRUT

The Master's students in ASU's Social Innovation Startup Lab who worked on a pitch for an AZ SRUT re-market program proved that their ideas were worth investing in. The team pictured below self-selected to work with AZ StRUT during their spring semester class. Because of their research and presentation, they won the pitch competition and AZ StRUT was awarded $5,000 to implement their ideas. 

We are so proud of your impactful work!

For the second year in a row, AZ StRUT was selected to receive a grant from AVNET Cares for our AZ StRUT Circular Economy Program. AVNET Cares focuses on organizations that provide innovative pathways to sustainability, with a preference for programs that incorporate technology. No wonder they have chosen AZ StRUT! 

With this funding AZ StRUT will provide hundreds of Arizona businesses and thousands of Arizona residents with responsible and safe electronics waste reuse and recycling services.  

Thank you, AVNET Cares, for your vision and dedication to positive environmental impact. 

AVNET Cares volunteers refurbishing computers at AZ StRUT.

Sundt Foundation selects
 AZ StRUT

AZ StRUT's Techie Lab program is honored to announce an employee selected grant from the Sundt Foundation. 

The Sundt Foundation in Phoenix is primarily funded by Sundt employee-owners, with the company matching their contributions dollar-for-dollar. Local committees of these employee-owners decide which organizations to fund ensuring support for causes they feel passionate about. Since its founding in 1999, the Sundt Foundation has reflected employee-owners’ desire to give back to the places where they live and work. This award will directly support hands-on learning in AZ StRUT Techie Lab classes. We are grateful for the Sundt Foundation connection to our mission and their in-person visit to tour and present our award. 

  New Interns from Phoenix College

Please consider a financial contribution to promote sustainability and education through technology.