Technology for Change: When community support goes beyond the job description

Welcome back to Technology for Change, where BC Tech for Learning highlights unique ways that technology is used to support British Columbians in need. Do you have a story to share? Please send an email to Keely so we can collaborate to bring it to a wider audience.

Laptops delivered to students in Surrey Schools. In the photo are SFFCS President Dylan Van Rooyen, BC Tech ED Mary-Em Waddington, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, Surrey Trustee Gary Tymoscuk, members of the Surrey Firefighters team, and Surrey students.

It’s amazing how one good deed can cause a ripple effect that leads to a community stepping up in a different city hundreds of kilometres away. How one good Samaritan reaching out for support for a friend who lost everything in a house fire can lead to a partnership between charities, firefighters, and school districts.

That’s how an important and meaningful relationship was started between BC Technology for Learning Society and the Surrey Firefighters Charitable Society. 

When BC Tech Executive Director Mary-Em Waddington received word from a friend that he was looking for a laptop donation for someone who lost his computer in a house fire, Waddington was quick to wonder how this idea could be expanded to help more British Columbians in need. She reached out to Dylan Van Rooyen, senior manager at the SFFCS, to propose a partnership opportunity supporting those displaced by house fires: BC Tech provides the laptops, and the firefighters deliver the devices.

Due to the size of Surrey and logistical implications surrounding carrying laptops on firetrucks, this idea did not align with the SFFCS, but it got Van Rooyen thinking about other partnership opportunities.

The SFFCS have a 30-year history with the Surrey School District, supporting students through a healthy snack program, which is where the relationship first began, as well as helping with school supplies for those who need them. Many students come to school with next to nothing and rely on this support.

SFFCS wants to be able to help vulnerable communities in Surrey in a world where having access to a reliable device impacts education and other aspects of everyday life.

“Now it’s a necessity in the home”, says Van Rooyen.

Due to the high cost of purchasing new devices, the SFFCS has not been able to support students in receiving laptops until now, even though the school curriculum has become increasingly reliant on technology since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“A lot of us are using Teams or different avenues that we simply need the students to be able to access”, says Annie Ohana, a teacher at L.A. Matheson Secondary School. The school has a wide breadth of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and is considered an inner city school.

“That income insecurity definitely exists because how do you factor in the technology part when [in a parent’s mind], food comes first?”

BC Tech provides low-cost, high-quality refurbished devices at a fraction of what a new laptop would cost. This allows the SFFCS to purchase bulk orders of laptops and deliver them to schools across Surrey.

Teachers and administrators in Surrey Schools identify students who could benefit from being given a device, and the firefighters collect them from BC Tech for delivery.

“We like to be involved in the delivery of the laptops”, says Van Rooyen. There’s an energy shift in the room when a laptop is brought in, and a student knows it is for them.

Surrey Board of Education Chair Gary Tymoschuk says that feedback from the schools has been amazing. “Students have that same opportunity to learn at the same pace as their friends when they continue their learning outside the classroom.”

While the devices are given to the students, Van Rooyen notes that they are not just for the student, but also to help the whole family. Having a computer is essential for accessing government resources, applying for jobs, and staying connected with loved ones. Without a device, people feel excluded from these resources.

Classroom needs vary depending on the curriculum, but most are in agreement that technology is the way of the future.

“The schools mirror what’s going on in the general community, and we are all so connected,” says Tymoscuk.

One year into our new partnership, BC Tech for Learning and Surrey Firefighters Charitable Society have reached almost 1,000 devices delivered to families in Surrey, with no sign of slowing down. Thanks to SFFCS, their supporters, and Surrey Schools for the work you do to ensure equitable access to technology for all students.

BC Tech distributed over 8,000 devices last year, and one-eighth of those were targeted toward SFFCS alone. This work could not be done without the support of the federal government and many local businesses donating their retired equipment.

Does your company have technology sitting around that can be reused? Donate it to BC Tech to extend its useful life.

Your Donations Matter.