AT&T and community partners distributed 100 laptops and 150 backpacks Saturday to families in Dallas who lacked computers at home.
By Michael Cuviello
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
That changed when Mejia received a laptop for her seven-year old daughter, Hasly, during a giveaway at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center.
“Very important,” Mejia said. “We didn’t have a computer until today.”
She said Hasly can now use the laptop for schoolwork, research and learning how to use technology.
Asked how she felt about having a computer, Hasly answered simply in Spanish: “Feliz”— happy.
Hasly said she wants to become a doctor when she grows up.
The Mejias were among dozens of Dallas-area families who received laptops Saturday during an event organized by AT&T and community partners as part of the company’s Connected Dallas Tour. Organizers distributed 100 laptops and 150 backpacks filled with school supplies.
The giveaway comes amid broader efforts to address Dallas’ digital divide. A broadband and digital equity plan developed for the city of Dallas and Dallas ISD identified access to affordable high-speed internet, computers and digital skills among barriers facing some residents.
AT&T partnership
AT&T partnered with Pasos for Oak Cliff and Compudopt for the event.
Families were identified through community partners based on whether they lacked a laptop at home, said Lisa Sherrod, AT&T’s assistant vice president of external and legislative affairs.
Sherrod said the program grew out of challenges highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when families without computers or reliable internet access struggled to connect with school, work and other services.
“A laptop and strong connectivity at home is what’s necessary in modern society,” Sherrod said.
For Elijah Glenn, the laptop came at just the right time.
Jordana Glenn, 8, of Cedar Hill receives a backpack as her father Elijah Glenn, from left, AT&T employees Carlos Lopez and Shuntell Davis look on, during a computer giveaway event at Oak Cliff Cultural Center in Dallas. The joint event of Compudopt and AT&T gives away laptops and backpacks stuffed with school supplies to students who don’t own the computers at home.Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Two of his family’s computers had broken, and he had been preparing to buy another for his oldest son, Joshua, who is homeschooled, takes classes at Dallas College and wants to learn coding to become a game developer.
“It’s a blessing in disguise,” Glenn said. “This is really needed.”
Glenn said Joshua had sometimes been doing coursework on his phone. Now, he will have a computer of his own as he takes college classes and pursues his interest in coding.
Compudopt devices
The laptops distributed Saturday were refurbished by Compudopt, a nonprofit that prepares donated devices for families who lack computers.
Skylor Jackson, Compudopt’s Dallas tech manager, said her team wipes the computers, reinstalls software and cleans the devices before they are distributed.
“In a normal tech job, you just work on computers,” Jackson said. “Here you get to see the difference it makes, talk to families and hear how it’s going to impact their lives.”
AT&T said it has donated more than 23,000 computers across Texas since 2021 as part of its efforts to address the digital divide.
For Glenn, the laptop gives his son another tool to pursue his goals.
“He’ll see that someone cares enough to help him reach his goals,” Glenn said. “This is going to make him over the moon.”
Michael Cuviello is a breaking news reporter for The Dallas Morning News. He previously reported for the Amarillo Globe-News, where he led on-the-ground coverage of the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest wildfire in Texas history. A graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, he served as the sports editor for the student publication, The Prospector. Cuviello is a combat veteran who served more than a decade in the military.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
