Rep. Les Gara, and Facing Foster Care in Alaska founder, Amanda Metivier, have launched a Back To School drive to put laptops into the hands of Alaskan foster youth to aid with their school success, Les Gara announced.

Gara and Metivier, both former foster youth, founded the Laptops for Foster Youth effort at the suggestion of many young people in foster care, who faced barriers to success, and needed online access to schoolwork. Their efforts have matched over 900 laptops with foster youth to date, but the need continues with over 3,000 youth still in foster care today.

Isaiah King Lee-Allen spent over a decade in foster care. He is currently attending UAA, and recently received a laptop from the Laptops for Foster Youth effort. “I need it to keep up in school and to stay in touch with my friends and family,” said Lee-Allen. 

“Laptops help foster youth achieve like their peers, do homework and research like their peers, and reach their dreams like their peers. That matters to children whose lives have been uprooted, who often struggle with little, and live with daily roadblocks to success,” said Gara, whose father was killed when he was six. 

“We’ve matched hundreds of youth across the state with a laptop computer. This has been the determining factor for a number of young people who have fallen behind to be able to graduate high school,” said Metivier. “In addition, it allows youth to keep pictures of friends and family, and stay in touch with people, during an extraordinarily difficult time of their lives.”

Gara has been advised by the ethics committee that this volunteer effort, which he co-founded with Ms. Metivier, is one he can continue to promote, and work on in his free time, but that his office cannot accept financial donations to go to the purchase of laptops. Laptops, or funds to purchase laptops, can therefore be donated directly to the non-profit, Facing Foster Care in Alaska, and those donations are tax deductible. 

To donate a laptop, including Chrome Book laptops, or funds towards the purchase of laptops, contact Metivier at Facing_Fostercare@yahoo.com, or contact Rep. Gara’s office with questions. Rep. Gara can be reached at 269-0106 or at rep.les.gara@akleg.gov. Gara is happy to talk to potential donors about the effort.

The program efficiently uses discount computer sales programs to keep costs down for new laptops and tablets. If you are going to donate a laptop, the program is no longer accepting used ones. 

New laptops, with an anti-virus program for PCs, or Apple/MacBook laptops without anti-virus programs, are being called for during this drive. PCs, as opposed to Apple products, do require an anti-virus program. 

“We used to accept gently used laptops but we honestly don’t have the staff to maintain them, and Alaskans have been very generous donating new computers and funds to buy new computers,” said Gara, who has reached out to local foundations and groups which also help with funds for laptops.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

  amanda metivier, computers, donations, foster carre, laptops, les gara, program, school, success, uaa