Organizations take it upon themselves to collect laptops for North Carolina students

While districts across North Carolina are doing their best to get devices to students for their remote learning, some groups are taking matters into their own hands to make sure students get the laptops they need.

Brittany Cleckley's iAlign Dance Company has collected and distributed more than 300 laptops to students in the Greensboro area.

"There are a lot of families that are in desperate need of having some type of device to get in touch with their teachers and for their children to have higher learning and to complete their education so we're just trying to provide any support that we can and if it's through a laptop, then it's a laptop," Cleckley said.

Cleckley was featured on Good Morning America at the beginning of the month. Since then, her team has received more than 3,000 requests for laptops. They're focusing on distributing laptops to students going to Guilford County Schools. In addition, people all over the country are reaching out wanting to help by donating laptops or money to buy computers.

Plus:

"Since we've gotten national coverage, we've had a lot of folks from different states and in the Raleigh-Durham area that contacted us to help us get them to start a program so that they can give back in their community as well," Cleckley said.

You can donate old or new laptops to be professionally cleaned and/or refurbished and given to students without access attending Guilford County Schools.

Click here for more information on iAlign Dance Company.

The Raleigh office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants has a goal of collecting 50 laptops for unaccompanied minors as well as adult refugees and those who've been granted asylum taking classes at WakeTech. They will distribute the devices directly to the students.

Adelen Kirkland said the minor students, who live all across the state, requested laptops from their districts but hadn't gotten them yet and didn't want to fall further behind.

"The stress levels of our students is getting worse and the anxiety of our parents as they are not receiving laptops," Kirkland said. "It is also difficult for them because of the language barrier. Unaccompanied minors have also, many of them have never been to school in the United States, and their sponsors are learning about the process of going to school, as well, so getting technology for them can sometimes be a little more difficult."

The group is accepting used but fully functional laptops or tablets with no broken/cracked screens or missing keys on the keyboard, with a charger.

Because of their small IT department, they're asking you to:

• Delete all files and programs that you have downloaded

• Remove all installed software except for essential office programs

• Delete all photos and videos

• Remove temporary files

• Clear all history

• Remove saved passwords

To coordinate drop-off: Volunteer@uscrinc.org