The Power Up Project is an organization started in 2018 by caring high school students seeing a need to get computers into the hands of those who could not afford one. Approximately 1.1 million households in Illinois do not have access to a computer. The Project’s committee seeks to change that. In over 7 years, they have refurbished over 400 computers and laptops and donated them to people in need.
In 2025, they refurbished approximately 100 computers. So far in 2026, they’ve received 80 computers for distribution. One unit went to someone going back to community college to get their GED while another went to someone who was unemployed in need of getting his resume prepared.
The Power Up team consists of about 20 students from NNHS, NCHS, NVHS, IMSA, and even a student from Barrington. The president of the organization commits to 1-2 years as well as housing the headquarters for their weekly meetings and work sessions in his basement. The leadership team spends about $30 of their own money on accessories for each desktop that gets donated in need of updated parts.
This year, the Illinois office of Broadband Initiative reached out to Power Up and other organizations around the state to form the IL Tech Reuse Network. Kyle Wang, president of Power Up, believes they are the only student led tech reuse organization in IL. He, also, stated that he believes IL is the first state to have a Tech Reuse Network. Each time an individual, school or corporation wants to donate some computers or laptops, the network rotates through four local organizations to pick up the equipment, refurbish it if needed, and redistribute it.
The Power Up Project looks forward to collaborating with Compudopt, Human-I-T, and PCs for People to tackle the technological divide which affects over a million Illinois households. So, if you have some equipment (less than 10 yrs. old) that you no longer need or know of an organization that has computers to donate, please fill out a form on their website www.thepowerupproject.org/donate.
- What They Accept: PCs, Laptops, Tablets, IPADs, gaming consoles, and some parts like hard drives, power supplies, RAM, SSDs.
- What They Don’t Accept: Printers, Scanners, Fax Machines
- Sometimes Accept: Monitors, Computer Accessories (mice, keyboards, cables)
Burning E-waste creates carbon emissions and toxic fumes. Recycling computers and other technology equipment protects the environment while helping others.
Wang said, “This has been the most rewarding thing I’ve done in high school. And I’m sure many of our members could say the same. It is so cool that we have this opportunity and responsibility to be able to actually help other people.”
