Students from Saint Davids Public School got a tech upgrade in May, courtesy of the St. Davids Firefighters Association.
The Association purchased 10 additional Google Chromebooks for students to use.
The school’s budget only allowed for 20, which caused the need for partnering up and didn’t provide students with the full ability to use the computer to study, said SDFA president Derek Rooney, who heard about the school’s need from a parent on the school’s parent council.
Now, each student will have access to a Chromebook, Rooney said.
“We have had the opportunity to go to the school and meet with some of the students who study with these computers, and it was fantastic to see how happy they are to be able to have access to their own computer to study.”
He said he himself remembers being in grade school and having to share computers in the lab and wanted to make sure the students all had access to their own computers.
All-in-all the price tag of the Chromebooks — all brand new, top-of-the-line models — was $2,629 he said.
The St. Davids Firefighters Association holds fundraising events throughout the year, including a community breakfast on the last Saturday of each month where the public can enjoy a home-cooked buffet-style breakfast at the fire hall.
Other events include the annual Turkey roll each December, where firefighters auction off turkeys and hold a prize draw, a tradition Rooney said members are very proud to keep alive.
“Every year is different; we have done boot drives in the past as well as other fundraising initiatives that provide our community with an opportunity to donate to local charities,” said Rooney.
SDFA donates to many local charities and minor sports leagues each year, including Red Roof Retreat, Epilepsy Niagara, the Canadian Cancer Society, NOTL Minor Hockey, NOTL Minor Lacrosse, NOTL Minor Baseball, NOTL Minor Soccer, NOTL Air Cadets, and Canadian Red Cross Disaster Relief.
This year, they chose St. Davids school after deciding the students would benefit most from their donation.
This story has been edited. It originally said the donation was $26,229.
