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TextNow Gives in support of One Laptop Per Child

Madison

Madison

 

November 25, 2021

TextNow Gives in support of One Laptop Per Child

At TextNow we believe communication belongs to everyone and is a basic human right, which is why we're on a mission to democratize phone service and bring communities together. As a people-first company, we want to help empower others by removing barriers to communication and close the digital divide.  

We have something exciting to tell you about.

On this year's #GivingTuesday (November 30, 2021), we hope to raise $10,000 toward One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), a non-profit organization that also cares about closing the digital divide and providing access to all. But we need your help. For every share of our post and use of the hashtag #TextNowGives on LinkedIn, Twitter, & Instagram, we will donate $0.50! So be sure to check out our social channels that day to give your support.

Who is OLPC

OLPC was established with the purpose of facilitating access to technology as a way to combat the educational gap for most underprivileged children in the world. The program first began at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2005, and since its inception, has provided more than 3 million educational laptops to these children.

OLPC is more than just laptops though. They provide an educational ecosystem to create new learning experiences for children around the world to help build their knowledge and encourage individual empowerment through digital technology.

What is #GivingTuesday and why now?

#GivingTuesday’s mission is to “reimagine a world built upon shared humanity and generosity." Started in 2012, “GivingTuesday is now an independent non-profit and a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.” Falling on the Tuesday following Cyber Monday, it is the time of year where we want to take a moment, step back, and reflect on where we can give to charitable organizations that are helping to make our world a better place. At TextNow, we're all about supporting scrappy non-profits doing amazing work to help bridge the digital divide through providing resources, education, and support to people around the world.  

How did we pick the organization?

It was important to us that the organization that we picked held similar values and understood the mission of breaking down barriers of communication, in whatever way that may have looked like to them. It was also important for the entire company to be involved, and for every employee's voice to be heard, so we made our final decision with an open, company-wide vote.

Our Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) specialist chose four non-profits where the intersections of technology and social good come together to create change in people's lives. Each non-profit’s mission reflected our goals of utilizing technology to create connection. Each nonprofit, in their own way, utilizes technology to build self-esteem, create community, and expand educational opportunities.  

We asked TextNovians to vote on which non-profit they would like to donate to. Mission statements were the only information provided during voting – no names. This allowed us to choose solely on what the charity stands for rather than the name or how well our employees might know them.  From the votes, TextNovians chose One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) as the first #TextNowGives fundraiser. And the rest, as they say---and we sincerely hope---will be history.

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