Compudopt History
Compudopt was founded in 2007 by Jonathan Osha, with the belief that every child deserves equal access to education and opportunity. He realized that the life cycle of a computer in a corporate environment is typically less than three years. Usually sent to landfill or shelved, these lightly used tools can become a dream come true for young learner ready to broaden their skills and knowledge, as well as an opportunity to demonstrate good environmental stewardship by our partner organizations. Since then we have grown our service offerings to include high-quality, hands-on, project-based after-school programming that aligns with high-demand careers and equip students with the skills needed for jobs today and tomorrow.
Compudopt Mission
We provide technology access and education to under-resourced youth and their communities. Our programs serve to eliminate limited access to computers, facilitate growth in technical and digital literacy skills and support the future of youth and their communities. Our vision is for a future in which all students, regardless of their economic situation, have access to the tools and skills needed to compete and thrive in a technology-driven world.
How to get Involved
This year, Compudopt Chicago is on a mission to provide 7000 computers to Chicagoland families. In order to meet this goal, we need computer donations and your support! Computer donations help our resources go further so that we can bring technology access to more people in the communities we serve. We accept both individual and corporate donations. All computers which enter our warehouse are accessed only by authorized staff members and hard drives are wiped using a program called Kill Disk which is an industrial-grade disk sanitation software that follows the Department of Defense Standard for overwriting data.
How to Volunteer
Compudopt is eager to develop a lasting relationships and explore opportunities for individuals and groups to volunteer, especially as we move out of the pandemic. We offer a variety of volunteer experiences throughout the year. Participating in one of our computer distributions would be a wonderful way for you to experience the impact that closing the digital divide can have on the community. We are excited to explore additional ways to engage your team and celebrate your contributions to the community. Speaking with students about careers is always a highlight for both volunteers and program participants as students explore new pathways they may never have otherwise considered. We also have warehouse volunteer opportunities wherein volunteers can help us during the week to help us load the trailer for adoption sessions and organize our warehouse. We could not do what we do without the incredible support of our wonderfully, generous volunteers. When you join the Compudopt volunteer team, you are part of a family of volunteers who help us deliver our programs, organize our warehouse, or support our development and program teams with planning and events.
If you are interested in donating a computer or volunteering with Compudopt please contact them today through their website.
Spotlight Guest
Shelia Jackson, Executive Director
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