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 What do you get when the Cary Family YMCA joins forces with the Cary Rotary Club and a non-profit called the Purple Elephant Computer Factory? Just ask 44 students in our Y-Learning tutorial program, each of whom received a refurbished computer.
“This all started when Dave Hinton from Purple Elephant called me and asked if we have a need. Purple Elephant had just received a $2,000 grant from the Cary Community Foundation,” said Candace Bishop, Senior Youth Director at the Cary Y.
Candace quickly answered yes and went into action. She called the Cary Rotary and spoke with Mary Kamm, a long-time Cary YMCA volunteers and Advisory Board member.
“They supplied a $2,000 grant to match the Cary Community Foundation grant. This allowed us to serve even more children,” exclaimed Candace.
Purple Elephant Computer Factory for KIDS provides refurbished, operational, Internet ready computers to qualified individuals and organizations. These include at risk, economically disadvantaged or disabled individuals, or military families and the organizations that serve these communities.
More than 600 children from over 25 area schools receive homework assistance and academic enrichment through Y-Learning. Students in the Y-Learning program are currently performing below grade level and have been recommended by their teachers. The Y-Learning curriculum was developed by teachers, and its success is well-documented.
“This seemed like such a natural fit for us to help the Y-Learning students,” said Dave Hinton, Director of Purple Elephant Computer Factory. “Most of these kids would never be able to afford a computer at home. This contribution will help boost their efforts to do better in school.”
On May 2, two YMCA mini-buses and a number of volunteers traveled to the Purple Elephant warehouse to load 44 computers and then took them back to the Cary YMCA. The next day, 44 Y-Learning students came to the Y to learn how to set up and operate their new computers. Volunteers from the Cary Rotary even helped deliver computers to families who didn’t have transportation.
“We are so grateful for this wonderful gift for our students,” said Candace Bishop. “It also shows how community groups can really make a difference if they work together.
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