The Providence Day School Parents' Association (PA) in partnership with Hendrick Luxury Group and E2D, a non-profit with a mission of ensuring that all students have affordable access to essential at-home technology, hosted “Drive for Drives” to help end the digital divide for low-income students throughout Charlotte. 

As a result of this campaign and the generosity of individuals and corporations, 492 laptops and iPads were wiped clean, refurbished, and given to some of the 60,000 students in Charlotte who live at or below the federal poverty line and do not have a home computer. Of the total donations, Providence Day School contributed 150 laptops and 105 iPads, while Hendrick Luxury Group purchased 35 new laptops to donate to the campaign.

Throughout the collection drive, the PA shared visual updates showcasing the increasing numbers of donations. During the Collect to Connect Drive hosted by WBTV News to raise awareness of the need for devices across Charlotte, the PA and Hendrick Automotive Group delivered a van full of 350 laptop and tablet donations collected from students and their families for E2D. PA President Givin Van Dam and Upper School Head Eric Hedinger also spoke with Jon Wilson from Wilson’s World on WCCB to promote the importance of the work E2D is doing.

In a concluding step for Drive for Drives, the Class of 2024 cleaned and processed donated laptops and iPads as part of the Charger Impact Challenge, which provides programming to educate freshmen on the impediments that obstruct upward mobility and social justice for thousands of their neighbors throughout Mecklenburg County. WBTV Charlotte shared a segment featuring PD ninth-grade students in action. As part of Charger Impact Challenge, speakers address advocacy efforts in areas such as food security, affordable housing, access to quality education, sustainability, and bridging the digital divide. This year, our virtual speakers have addressed the impact the pandemic has had on their efforts, including a growing awareness of the digital divide and the importance of all students having access to computers.

“Thank you to all of the personal and corporate donors who made this event a success,” says Van Dam. “We appreciate every laptop, iPad, and offer of financial support.” Corporate donors include Alston & Bird, Bark, Hearst Corporation, Hendrick Luxury Group, Horne Heating and Air, Linnane Homes, Northwestern Mutual, First Bank, and Sporting Gent.  

Encouraged by the generosity of the PD community, the commitment has not ended and the PD Parents' Association will continue to support this need beyond the November 2020 campaign. Click here for more details on how to contribute.