Hawaiian Airlines has refurbished 45 landfill-bound laptops back to full functionality and has donated them to those affected by the West Maui wildfires, the airline announced recently.
Maui nonprofit J. Walter Cameron Center recently launched a device relief program, requesting for donations of cell phones, computers and laptops for West Maui residents. Since launching the effort, the nonprofit has received nearly 1,000 applications, according to Becky Lind, fund development director at the J. Walter Cameron Center.
Hawaiian Airlines' Sustainability Employee Resource Group and its IT Field Services team responded to the request by filtering through and refurbishing laptops that were sent to the landfill. Six volunteers from Hawaiian's Employee Resource Group cleaned devices, while five employees from the company's IT Field Services team wiped and tested hard drives. Once the computers were ready, five employees transported the computers in carry-on luggage and hand-delivered them to the J. Walter Cameron Center's headquarters in Wailuku, according to the announcement.
"These machines were slated to get recycled and shredded, but after putting in a little time and elbow grease, we were able to bless 45 families with a working laptop," Sean AuYoung, senior IT operations specialist at Hawaiian, said in a statement. "We know having computer and internet access is essential in this day and age, and we’re thankful we were able to make this happen so quickly."
Hawaiian's Sustainability ERG and IT Field Services team plan to continue donating refurbished laptops until the nonprofit's waitlist is cleared, according to the announcement.
"Hawaiian’s donation really helped kickstart the program, allowing us to provide our initial wave of support to those who we identified had the highest need," Lind said in a statement.
For more information about the J. Walter Cameron Center’s work, or to donate, visit www.jwcameroncenter.org.
