The Request: to keep families safe while learning

The Donor: Charles Schwab | The Donation: 77 Laptops

From Sanskrit to Cybertech

When looking to engage children in whole-body learning, bhavanaKIDS (bKIDS) turned to the past for answers. Bhavana is ancient Sanskrit and loosely translates to “cultivating mind and body.” Through the age-old practice of yoga, bKIDS pushes children of all ages to add mindfulness and meditation to their daily lives. The results are striking and the children are healthier overall as a result.

So, when Covid reached bKIDS, the thought of potentially passing germs to family members weighed heavily on the students and educators alike. Though they still offer in-person classes, bKIDS was looking for a way to allow students to join remotely. As a non-profit, however, purchasing the necessary technology was too costly.

Laptops would be needed to connect these students, and to help their families gain access to the internet during quarantine, but who could provide such a generous donation?

Retired technology isn’t useless

The continual IT upgrades required by financial institutions adds up to tens of thousands of practically new devices, industry wide, becoming surplus every year. Charles Schwab wanted to be more mindful with their surplus IT assets, so they partnered with GoodTogether to turn this instance of laptop surplus into a life saver.

The first 77 people to respond to bKIDS founder, Tonia Crosby’s request were able to benefit from Schwab’s generosity. They each received a cleaned and updated device, complete with all the features needed to connect to access the web and connect with class to continue their exercises and mindful approach to learning. As Tonia says, “… the benefits of these devices is yet to be fully seen, their impact is immeasurable."

It is especially true during a pandemic, when children are stuck at home, that the BodyMind connection needs to be cultivated. Now, thanks to Charles Schwab, bKIDS can reach for new heights no matter where they are. In fact, the donation does more than just keep bKIDS healthy. In one instance, the family of one bKIDS student had lost their house due to the lockdown. This donation not only helped the second-grader keep up with classes, but it also allowed the family to house-hunt online.

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