Baton Rouge families receive laptops, sign up for internet at school event

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Families in East Baton Rouge Parish got a back-to-school boost today, walking away with laptops at a fraction of their retail price and signing up for affordable internet.

The event, hosted by the Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council (CACRC) at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, aimed to ensure that students start the school year with the tools they need to succeed.

Michael Rachal with CACRC said the mission is simple: give kids the resources they deserve.

“My heart is for the children, and that’s exactly why I’m here. It’s important for these children to be celebrated. It’s important for these children to gain the resources that they need in order to be successful because they are our future. And if we don’t invest in them, how can we invest in ourselves?” said Joy Phillips.

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Back-to-school season can be expensive, especially when families need a working computer and reliable internet. Rachal said events like this help close that gap.

“It’s a common misconception that everybody has their own device. Actually, one in four households here in the state of Louisiana do not have access to a computer of their own and are smartphone reliant,” he said.

Today, those families have more than just a smartphone to rely on.

“As we know, you can’t do everything on the smartphone, so you can’t fill out applications. Most time job applications aren’t able to be filled out on phones or doing schoolwork and lots of things that you can’t do on a phone that you would actually need a device,” Rachal said.

The devices available were business-grade, refurbished, and ready to go.

“Lowest $99 for laptops, $75 desktops, 6999 offers and hotspots. So, we have a program called Connecting Louisiana Families, and we offer internet service for $15 a month,” Rachal said.

He says the event is about more than just tech; it’s about opportunity.

“When I meet people, even at events like today, I just met a couple of college students. I said this is their first year at Southern and one was at LSU, and they didn’t have a device. So, this is why we do it,” he said.

Rachal said plans are already underway to get more devices and internet access into the hands of Baton Rouge students next school year.

Baton Rouge families receive laptops, sign up for internet at school event

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