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Acer 

May 23, 2022, 11:00 ET

Acer Aspire 1 laptops were awarded to all of Pivotal's graduating seniors at an event held last week; additional laptops were provided for Pivotal's Emergency Assistance Fund

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PlanITROI and its Digital Dreams Project joined with Acer to donate 100 Aspire 1 laptops to Pivotal, Silicon Valley's only nonprofit focused exclusively on the education and career needs of foster youth. At a celebration held on May 19 in Santa Clara at the Roosevelt Community Center, the Digital Dreams Project presented all of Pivotal's graduating seniors with the Acer Aspire 1 laptops. Additional laptops were provided to Pivotal for its Emergency Assistance Fund, which was launched in 2020 to provide immediate financial support to foster youth impacted by COVID-19. 

This donation supports Pivotal's mission to change the trajectory of the lives of foster youth by helping them reach academic and employment goals. Through one-on-one coaching, college scholarships, academic tutoring, paid summer internships, and professional development workshops, Pivotal scholars are 25 percent more likely to graduate high school and 10 times more likely to graduate college than their foster youth peers.

The Aspire 1 laptops with Windows 11 and Microsoft Office will give Pivotal's graduating seniors the latest tools they need to pursue higher education and careers. These laptops are particularly needed during this time of transition when most students lose access to the systems loaned by their high school. In addition, the Aspire 1 laptops provided to the Emergency Assistance Fund will assist other Pivotal scholars struggling to gain access to the technology they need to succeed academically.

"We are grateful for our partnership with Acer in providing laptops that will transform the lives of these graduating seniors," said Paul Baum, CEO of PlanITROI. "We are dedicated to creating a more digitally inclusive world where all children are empowered to unlock access to their education, achieve their full potential, and dream without limitations."

"We are so excited for the partnerships with the Digital Dreams Project to provide Acer laptops to our graduating seniors," said Dazzamine Maldonado, high school coach supervisor at Pivotal. "Surely before but even more so after the pandemic, the need for good tech at home is crucial for college students. Being able to send our graduating seniors into the next phase of their education with reliable laptops is amazing and one less thing for our youth to worry about.

"Acer has worked with Pivotal for several years and is impressed with the way they support foster youth of the Silicon Valley through coaching, mentoring, and professional development," said Richard Black, vice president of marketing for Acer. "The Digital Dreams Project is committed to conquering the digital divide, and we are delighted to work with this great organization to grant Acer laptops to support Pivotal scholars in their academic and professional journeys."

About PlanITROI and the Digital Dreams Project

Digital Dreams Project is powered by PlanITROI and supports their mission to bridge the digital divide by turning retired, returned, and idle IT devices into recertified, affordable technology solutions for the digitally underserved. PlanITROI, the global leader in Secure Purpose-Driven IT lifecycle management solutions, leverages the circular economy to prevent e-waste, increase data security, and bridge the digital divide. Since 2001, PlanITROI has positively impacted millions of lives with affordable technology.

About Pivotal

Pivotal is the only nonprofit in Silicon Valley focused exclusively on meeting the educational and career needs of foster youth. The organization has been providing support to high school and college-aged students for over 30 years by offering a comprehensive set of services including one-on-one academic and employment coaching, college scholarships, tutoring, career readiness training, and paid summer internships. Pivotal helps young people from foster care get the support they need to earn a sustainable income and reach self-sufficiency. Pivotal scholars are 25 percent more likely to graduate high school and 10 times more likely to graduate college than their foster youth peers. To learn more about Pivotal, visit https://www.pivotalnow.org/ and follow on Facebook @PivotalNow or Twitter @ThisIsPivotal.

 About Acer

Founded in 1976, Acer is one of the world's top ICT companies with a presence in more than 160 countries. As Acer evolves with the industry and changing lifestyles, it is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software, and services will fuse with one another, creating ecosystems and opening up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. Acer's 7,500 employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.