The Rotary Club of Northeast Sunrisers is inviting the public to donate used desktop computers and other electronics this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Roosevelt Mall.
The items collected — including computer keyboards, towers and mouse pads, cell phones and remote controls — will be donated to the Philadelphia Children’s Foundation.
The computers will be rehabilitated and delivered to Philadelphia students who don’t have access to the Internet.
John Bannan, founder and executive director of the foundation, is a member of the Rotary Club, which meets each Friday at 7:30 a.m. at the Country Club Restaurant and Pastry Shop, at 1717 Cottman Ave.
“So many kids in the city don’t have computers,” he said.
Bannan expects parents to be grateful for the contributions, since many schools are implementing online lessons and other instruction.
“If you don’t have a computer at home, your kid misses a lot,” he said. “It’s a huge disadvantage for so many kids.”
Bannan said the timing is perfect, since Comcast recently announced creation of Internet Essentials, a program that offers Internet access for $10 a month for low-income families.
It is estimated that 41 percent of city households have no computers. To make matters worse, many public schools don’t have libraries.
Public libraries have computers, but their hours have been cut and there’s often a wait for an open computer.
The computers will be distributed based on need, with income and the number of children in a family taken into account.
Anyone who wants to make a donation but is unable to make the Oct. 15 event can call Bannan at 215–242–5115.
For more information, visit the Rotary Club of Northeast Sunrisers page on Facebook. ••
