Cinnaminson Man's Nonprofit Reaches Official Status

Tech2Educate, a nonprofit organization that raises money for charter schools to use more technology in their programming, has just received official nonprofit status.

Tony Perry, a Cinnaminson man who co-founded the group, said fundraising could now officially begin.

Perry said he wants to get the first order of donations taken care of, so the ball can roll from there. He’s been in touch with a charter school in West Philadelphia he hopes to donate 16 e-readers to by the start of the next school year.

“I think that initial charter school is the most important,” Perry said. “The reason we picked this school is the administrators were very excited, the teachers were very excited, and they seemed wiling to work with us.”

Tech2Educate began in 2011 when Perry and friend James Johnson wanted to start an organization to help city students. Realizing that charter schools receive less funding than public schools, the duo focuses their efforts there. And knowing how important technology is these days in the classroom, the two thought to raise money to not only donate technology but also help teachers and staff implement the programming.

One of their board members, Kristina Najera, an education professor at Temple University, is in charge of training the staff once the technology is acquired.

“She’s now developing that strategy,” Perry said.

The rest of the board is brainstorming on fundraising efforts, Perry added, saying their current goal is to get the e-readers into the West Philadelphia charter school they are working with.

Tech2Educate’s website is ready to go, with a donation button through Paypal. Perry is also reaching out to community leaders and trying to pull in local and big businesses.

“Technology can engage students,” Perry told Patch in October. “It can give teachers the ability to monitor more closely. It keeps them connected. That’s the main key.”