ATB technology donation to benefit local students

By Herald on April 26, 2021.

Submitted photo - Staff at Wilson Middle School and the United Way display Chromebooks to be distributed to select students and families thanks to a donation to the United Way from ATB’s Greater Good program.

Tim Kalinowski – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – tkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

Dozens of local youth will receive a free Chromebook thanks to a donation to the United Way from ATB’s Greater Good program.

ATB purchased 412 of the Chromebooks, valued at approximately $100,000, for distribution across the province through various local United Way chapters. Lethbridge’s share of that was 66 Chromebooks, confirmed United Way Lethbridge and Southern Alberta community development co-ordinator Riley Swanberg.

“What they had realized is there was a really big need in terms of access to technology from the student population,” she said, “and so as part of their Greater Good initiative ATB focuses on access to information, access to communications, and also access to mental health supports. They put it out to the United Way this (donation) is the greatest thing we can do is get technology into our students’ hands.”

After receiving news of this donation, Swanberg then approached the Lethbridge School Division to identify those students, and their families, who would most benefit from receiving a Chromebook– access to technology, she said, being more important than ever in schools with many students switching over to exclusively online learning this year due to the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They had all the United Ways go out to their school district partners and ask if there was a need,” Swanberg confirmed. “There was a big, resounding ‘Yes.’”

The school division distributed the 66 Chromebooks to seven middle and high schools in Lethbridge, including Winston Churchill High School, Wilson Middle School, LCI, Victoria Park High School, Gilbert Paterson Middle School, G.S. Lakie Middle School, and Chinook High School, according to Swanberg.

The students who received the computers were gifted them outright, and will continue to have access to them for years to come.

“These are devices that can be used for more than one year, and in some cases, can carry a student well into post-secondary,” Swanberg said. “Since these devices belong to the students, they can be used for social connections, and to access other online resources and benefits. These are really important things during a pandemic.”

ATB also released a statement on, in its view, the importance of the donation.

“The pandemic revealed a gap in access to technology for students across the province,” states Chett Matchett, associate vice-president of strategy, operations and social economics, on behalf of the company. “It’s a gap that ATB wanted to help fill. We believe Albertans deserve reliable and equitable access to technology. It’s one of the tools people need to participate in school, society and the economy at large.”

Follow @TimKalHerald on Twitter

Submitted photo Staff at Wilson Middle School and the United Way display Chromebooks to be distributed to select students and families thanks to a donation to the United Way from ATB’s Greater Good program.