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Stratford hosts digital device drive to help seniors with technology

In an effort to help, it is hosting a Digital Dreams Project at the Baldwin Center over the weekend. It is in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

News 12 Staff

Jan 13, 2022, 11:26 AM

Updated 1,056 days ago

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The Town of Stratford understands how challenging technology can be for seniors. In an effort to help, it is hosting the Digital Dreams Project in the parking lot at the Baldwin Center over the weekend.
The project is in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. 
Betty Madden is a volunteer for the drive. She tells News 12 she received an iPad so she can stay connected to her family, like her son.
“He said I could FaceTime him,” says Madden. “I could see them and they could see me.”
She is the first to admit she is not tech savvy. 
“I had a flip phone, only I don’t know these push buttons and things like that,” says Madden. 
According to Older Adults Technology Services, 22 million seniors across the U.S. don’t have internet access at home. 
The town is collecting items like smartphones, tablets, desktops and laptops. The devices will be refurbished by Plan-It-ROI.  
The company says they’re taking the devices and turning them into a device the town will need. 
Then seniors will be given a device and taught how to use it.  
During last year’s drive, 50 iPads were given to seniors. Organizers are hoping to reach more this year.  
Madden says it has opened a whole new world for her. 
“I know a whole new world out there that I never knew that’s just in this little box in my hands,” says Madden. “It’s amazing.” 
The town is collecting items like smartphones, tablets, desktops and laptops. The devices will be refurbished. Seniors will be given a device and taught how to use it. 
During last year’s drive, 50 iPads were given to seniors. Organizers are hoping to reach more this year. 
If you have a device you would like to drop off at the Baldwin Center, you can do so on Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
The event is drive thru. If you are bringing a device, organizers are encouraging everyone to remain in their cars.