How 1 computer changed the WORLD

can it save

lives yes can have a

huge ripple effect can help a student

meet remotely with their teacher finish

their school papers

get into and graduate college find a

job start a family and fulfill their

dreams

sadly not everyone can be so lucky

can i see a show of hands if you guys

have a computer at home

everyone in the room unfortunately this

is not the case for many people

especially underserved students

in my hometown of cincinnati about 50

percent of the kids

are living below the poverty line in all

the u.s

about 40 percent of the kids are below

the poverty line

this is really tough these can

these kids need computers to help

empower their

lives and to succeed

so what are we gonna do i am so

passionate

about helping these kids because i can

see too many headlines of youth not

reaching their dreams

it’s tough luckily i grew up

fortunate enough that i had my knees met

i had access to technology and i still

struggled to succeed

my story starts when my business

launched

and my desire to give back was ignited

in the infancy of my business i didn’t

have the money or means to donate

devices

but i tried to deliver positivity

wherever i went

as my business started to grow i was

able to donate devices

and also i was raising money and

awareness for the causes of the month

but i soon realized i was spreading my

gifting too thin

across too many organizations to have a

great impact

my true passion lied with ensuring that

students that did not grow privileged

like myself would have the means to

succeed

as a board member of a local non-profit

that focuses on student group mentoring

we saw firsthand that these kids needed

more access to technology

and especially right now to have safe

distance remote learning

so starting in 2019 i pivoted away from

monthly gifting and i focused it on

gifting computers to students

but they weren’t simply gifted they were

earned

these outstanding students earned them

through their respective organizations

by being outstanding and working her

putts off

when i meet with these students and hear

their stories of their lives

it truly brings tears to my eyes they’ve

worked so incredibly hard

to overcome things like homelessness

hunger

poverty abuse problems with the law

and other undesirable home situations

that would leave

many of us down and not reaching for our

dreams

so after meeting with all these kids

it’s just truly ignited

the ability of me to want to give back

by donating these computers

we can change their lives change their

outlook on the world

and their future job prospects

in only the couple of years that have

leaned into gifting technology

i’ve seen all these outcomes and more

and the impact is driving me to want to

do more

this cycle can gain momentum and help so

many more students reach their goals

and ultimately help the world be a

better place

let’s envision a future where every

student

has access to technology to allow them

to reach their goals and dreams

can you imagine the positive impact that

it could have

so will you join me in being

a dream maker now is the time

if you have one takeaway from this talk

imagine how the devices

in your drawers and closets can empower

our youth

and save lives thank you