Before the grant, refurbishing a single computer took around 150 minutes of collective work spread across days or weeks, and space constraints meant Shift2 could only wipe 10 computers at a time. The Konar funding helped change that.

Using the grant alongside in-kind contributions, Shift2 built out a system of multi-tiered metal shelving units with laptop docking stations capable of connecting multiple computers at once. With three active shelves, the team can now process up to 75 computers simultaneously. And because more computers can be processed at the same time, technicians can move fluidly between phases instead of waiting on a single batch. The goal was to reduce total processing time per computer from 150 minutes down to 60. The shelving system made that possible.

The other half of the Konar grant went directly to students. Two hundred refurbished laptops were distributed to low-income K-12 students and recent graduates across Rochester:

• 50 laptops to households of School No. 8 students through the Rochester Rotary Adopt-a-School program
• 30 laptops to incoming RIT Rochester City Scholars
• 60 laptops to Nativity Preparatory School households
• 60 laptops to Rochester Prep graduates heading to college in the fall

One thing Shift2 learned during the Nativity distribution: not every recipient speaks English or reads fluently, and setting up a computer for the first time isn’t always intuitive. So the team created a step-by-step visual setup guide with photographs and icons showing exactly what to plug in and where. A small addition that made a big difference.

For the Rochester Prep graduates, the timing was everything. These were seniors from the class of 2020 heading into their first college semester without a computer of their own. They left with one.

This is what thoughtful grant funding looks like in practice: better tools for the organization, better access for the community, and a few hundred students starting the next chapter a little more prepared.