National Pawn, a North Carolina-based retailer with two Charlotte locations, is outfitting an entirely new technology center for the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club on Marsh Road. The tech center donation will include 10 new desktop computers to replace antiquated ones, which were more than a decade old and not functional for students. National Pawn is also gifting the Club with $2,000 for software upgrades, staff training and future repair costs to make the center immediately useable, and sustainable for years to come.
The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Greater Charlotte serves more than 85 students from ages 6-18, and computers are often used for homework, career exploration, learning STEM skills and playing enrichment games. The donation will allow the Club to completely replace all previous computers available to students, and also comes at a time where the Club expects an increase in members and the amount of time they spend onsite with school out for the summer.
“Many of our students do not have access to computers in their homes, so having these resources in the Club is crucial for them. Unfortunately, so many of the computers we currently have crash while students are mid-project and many files can’t even be opened because the devices are incompatible with modern software and programs,” said Marty Clary, director of the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Charlotte. “These new computers will be such a game-changer for our members and their continued education outside the classroom!”
The new technology center will be unveiled with a donation ceremony at the Marsh Road Club Thursday, June 14, which will include staff from the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Greater Charlotte, 75 Club students and National Pawn representatives. The donation is part of the retailer’s ongoing commitment to give back to local communities, especially underprivileged youth.
“As an Eagle Scout, giving back to the community is something that we do every day,” said Bob Moulton, founder of National Pawn. “The look of surprise on the kids’ face when they see this gift, and knowing they’ll be able to use these computers for years to come, is what I always dreamed I’d be able to accomplish.”
For those looking to contribute to the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs’ new tech center, National Pawn is collecting tablets and any other tech donations to further arm the Club with additional resources from the community. To donate a tablet or other device, bring it to any National Pawn store and mention the device is a donation for the Club.