With help from 20 donors who gave about 1,000 CDs and DVDs, First Presbyterian Christian Academy could receive five new Kindle e-book readers in the near future.
Donors lined up at FPCA on Tuesday to contribute their items to the school’s iWin drive, according to event coordinator and technology teacher Maria Reed.
Though the school only received about 10 percent of Reed’s goal of 10,000, she said the event was a success. The drive will continue indefinitely, she added.
“Imagine if many more people did it, how many more we would get,” she said, hopeful that the idea will catch on with more FPCA parents. “We will be collecting forever — as long as the company exists, we can collect.”
As the Courier reported last week, the school will mail its donations to iPodMeister, a New York City company that collects used CDs and DVDs and awards points for each item it accepts. Through the company, donors can redeem their points for MP3 players, external hard drives, smart phones, e-readers and tablet computers.
One donor, Kacey Toole, said she donated about 100 CDs and DVDs that she and her family have outgrown.
“We’re a military family and we move around a lot, so I’ve been wanting to get rid of some excess items,” she said.
In her experience, having household clutter has complicated moves, and she said that military families often are not sure how to dispose of extra items. This drive offers a great outlet and it’s a worthy case, she said.
Toole, a fourth-grade teacher on Fort Stewart whose children attend Liberty County public schools, said she likes the thought of enhancing learning within the community.
“Access to those types of technology would have been beneficial to my own classroom,” she said. “I can totally empathize with wanting to have that for my students. … I would like to know that someone could have it.”
Keep Liberty Beautiful partnered with the drive to raffle a Kindle to one donor and give away Frisbees and reusable shopping bags to all donors. KIX 96 DJ Nancy Lynn did a live remote broadcast for about an hour and a half.
From a conservation standpoint, donors expressed fascination that the school found a way to convert used items into new ones and that iPodMeister has found a purpose for seemingly unnecessary items, KLB Executive Director Sara Swida said.
Those who wish to donate in the future can drop off their items at the school on East Court Street.