More than 200 AISD families at Houston Elementary school in South Austin received computers. AISD and the City of Austin along with PCs for People helped distribute refurbished desktop computers to students and their families enrolled at Uphaus Early Childhood Center, Houston, Rodriguez, and Widén elementary schools. These schools were chosen based on their proximity to the distribution center at Houston Elementary.

For $25, families received a desktop monitor, keyboard and mouse. Most of the families registered had never before owned a computer. Each member of the family was given a 20-minute computer literacy training session taught by experts from PCs for People.

Surprised excitement was seen when free tickets to Austin’s Trail of Lights spectacle and pizza were handed out to each family.

Bright smiling faces lined up in the gym excited to receive their computers. Children could hardly stay still as they played and chased each other around the gym waiting for their parents to receive their computer.

“This event is meant to better our community and it would not have been made possible without our community partners like AISD, Google Fiber and PCs for People who have all helped get the word out and made this event special,” said John Spears a communications and technology management assistant with the city of Austin.

“The city and our partner PCs for People worked with different parents support specialists at each one of the schools to specifically identify those families that do not have a home computer that could gain benefit from that home computer,” said John Spears who works for the City of Austin.

“These computers have the potential to change lives by increasing the ability to complete schoolwork and hopefully make this years Christmas a little brighter,” said Spears.

For more information on upcoming computer distribution events please visit www.pcsforpeople.org.