NEWS RELEASE
GUELPH TOOL LIBRARY
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The Guelph Tool Library wants to collect 50 laptops in February. The Circular Computer Project will accept any laptops that are six years old or less and in working condition or with minor issues to repair. Laptops can be dropped off at the Guelph Tool Library, in the Old Quebec Street Shoppes, during regular operating hours. Volunteers will then complete repairs as necessary, scrub the data from the laptop, update the operating system, and then give them to community partners to distribute.
The Circular Computer Project works with a number of local agencies to repair and distribute laptops. These include the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington, Wyndham House, and the Guelph Community Health Centre. John Dennis, Guelph Tool Library Transitional director, notes that “the demand for laptops has increased significantly since we started the project in 2023. Our goal is to collect and distribute 100 laptops in 2025. We hope, with this dedicated laptop drive in February, to raise awareness of the program and reach the halfway point of our goal early in the year.”
The Guelph Community Health Centre is one of the community partners that distributes the free laptops and is very grateful for the support. They provide their clients with these digital devices which allows them to connect with online resources that help them apply for jobs, meet educational goals, stay in touch with loved ones, access food security programs, or participate in online social and skill building programs.
Karrie Cumming, health promoter at the Guelph Community Health Centre, said that “the Guelph CHC views digital equity as a social determinant of health and believes it’s necessary to be fully engaged in today’s society. Many of our clients don’t have access to digital devices. The partnership with the Circular Computer Program helps us reduce barriers to digital connection and meet this community need.“
The Guelph Tool Library has received thanks and positive feedback from a number of recipients of these upcycled digital devices. One recipient wrote to us that “the laptop from the Guelph Tool Library has helped my family have more access to the internet at home now. My daughter is able to access her online school assignments, so she is able to stay on top of her homework. Thank-you so much!”
Mike Caldwell, project lead for the Circular Computer Project, notes that "access to digital resources is quickly becoming a necessity in today’s ever-connected world, and should be a right for everyone. Through the Circular Computer Project, we strive to bring that right to more and more people by giving them access to the tools they need."
Laptops can always be dropped off for the Circular Computer Project during the regular operating hours of the Guelph Tool Library. The Guelph Tool Library does not accept desktop or computer accessories such as keyboards or monitors. These electronic items can be recycled at a number of other locations in Guelph.
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