As 100 students at the True Value Boys & Girls Club in southwest Chicago lined up in the gymnasium with us, they couldn’t believe it.
At the first table, each student was handed a backpack with back-to-school supplies stuffed by AT&T employee volunteers. Then, the game changer. We gave each student a laptop of their very own.
Susanna Wickham, President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago, described one student’s priceless reaction:
“The little girl said to me, ‘You mean this is mine to keep?’ And I said ‘Yes! It’s yours.’
“And she said, ‘For my whole life?’ And I said ‘Yes!’
“She couldn’t even believe it. She was so excited to have something that’ll have this much importance in her life, and to realize that it was hers.”
What a great story.
As part of AT&T Illinois Connectivity Week with Boys & Girls Clubs, AT&T and our friends at Compudopt provided refurbished laptops to 650 students and families served by Boys & Girls Clubs across the state.
As I reflect on these heart-warming events, I recognize that my favorite part is when the students get the laptops. They are so excited. Maybe a laptop will spark a new interest in a student’s life to become a teacher, doctor, or an engineer. Perhaps it will create an interest in creating music or designing video games. The possibilities are endless, and that’s why we love connecting people to greater possibilities.
In Illinois, AT&T has distributed more than 5,000 computers and devices to students and their families since 2021.
This week, we provided laptops to students at events in Chicago, Springfield, Elgin, Ford Heights, and Waukegan. The events were produced in conjunction with Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Boys & Girls Club of Central Illinois, Boys & Girls Club of North Central Illinois, and Boys & Girls Club of Lake County. What terrific partners. We couldn’t have done it without them and the terrific young people they serve.
Our efforts are part of AT&T’s initiative to help address the digital divide through internet accessibility, affordability and safe adoption. In fact, AT&T is committing $5 billion to help 25 million people get and stay connected to high-speed internet by 2030.
Tiffany Mathis Posey, CEO & Executive Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Illinois, said, “In today’s world, access to technology is not a luxury — it’s a necessity.”
That’s why, in Springfield, it was moving that students responded to receiving their laptops by chanting, “AT&T! AT&T! AT&T!”
In Elgin, Cathy Russell, CEO for the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Illinois, said that thanks to community partnerships like this, club members have access to resources that put them on a path to succeed in their educational and future goals.
This was a very special week, and Germain Castellanos, the CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Lake County, summed it up so nicely saying, “We strive to unlock the potential of the kids we serve every day in order to provide them opportunities for their best future. A computer is an excellent tool to support that, and we’re grateful to AT&T and Compudopt for this support.”
We are excited to provide these resources in the communities we serve. Connecting to the internet is just so important to our everyday lives.
That’s why we say….Connecting Changes Everything!
