What happens when a computer that is no longer needed by one organization becomes an important tool
for someone else?For Halton Tech For Teens, the answer is simple: opportunity.
Founded in 2019 by Mike Benninger, his cousin Scott Benninger and longtime charity partner Ryan Moffett,
Halton Tech For Teens began with a simple goal—to redirect excess corporate technology to youth who
needed it.
At the time, Mike’s late wife, Marilyn, was involved with the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton, supporting
youth preparing to leave care and pursue post-secondary education and job training. The founders
recognized that having access to a computer, software and the Internet was increasingly essential to that
future, yet youth in care were not routinely provided with their own devices.
What started as a small initiative quickly grew into a registered charity. Then the pandemic arrived.
As schools moved online, the need for computers became impossible to ignore. Halton Tech For Teens
began receiving requests from students and lower-income families, while continuing to build relationships
with businesses and individuals willing to donate their retired technology. But when the pandemic ended, the need didn’t.
Today, Halton Tech For Teens also supports newcomers to Canada, isolated seniors, individuals learning
English and others who cannot afford a computer. Since its founding, the organization estimates that
approximately 500 devices have found their way into the homes of people who needed them. And each one tells a story.
A computer can change what is possible
Earlier this year, Mike received a request from a single mother in Burlington with two children. Her 12-yearold daughter had been identified as gifted, but without a computer at home, she relied on school equipment to complete her work. Her younger sibling was facing similar challenges. There simply wasn’t room in the family budget for two computers. Fortunately, Mike had received a donation of IBM ThinkPads with touchscreen capability as well as Chromebooks. He was able to provide a device for each child.
A few weeks later, their mother contacted him to say how much better the children were doing. They no longer had to worry about finding access to a computer to complete their schoolwork. Two computers gave two children an opportunity to learn without the barrier of technology getting in their way. The impact reaches beyond students.
Halton Tech For Teens works with organizations supporting Ukrainian newcomers, providing devices that help people stay connected with family members overseas, practise English, search for employment and navigate their new lives in Canada. For three low-income seniors living in a nearby housing complex, older laptops provided something equally important: connection. With help from a healthcare worker, the seniors learned to use Zoom and Facebook Messenger to communicate with family and friends. The computers didn’t need to be new. They just needed to work. The need hasn’t ended
One of Mike’s most memorable requests came from a Milton family whose 15-year-old son had been borrowing a friend’s computer to complete his school assignments after the family desktop stopped working. The teenager was becoming embarrassed about continually asking to use his friend’s computer, and his father worried that he might eventually stop asking altogether. Mike had a 17-inch HP laptop available. It wasn’t the newest computer, but it was more than capable of handling high school assignments. Mike delivered it to the family.
Within weeks, he received a thank-you email from the teenager. The laptop gave him the freedom to complete his schoolwork at home—and spend time with his friends simply being a teenager, rather than borrowing their computer to do his homework. For Mike, moments like that are why he continues.
Halton Tech For Teens remains completely volunteer-led, with Mike handling much of the repair, reporting and distribution work. Continuing the organization is also a way of honouring a wish shared by his late wife, Marilyn: to keep helping young people in need.
Even today, requests continue to arrive. In one recent week, Mike received requests for five devices from three different families.
The pandemic may be over, but the digital divide remains. And for Halton Tech For Teens, the goal remains the same as it was in 2019: put technology into the hands of people who need it and help create opportunities that might otherwise not exist.