DALLAS, TX – When a City Electric Supply employee was asked to help fix computers at a daycare in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, he quickly accepted. But after seeing how old and outdated the computers at the facility were, he knew it was time for an upgrade. Zach Pendleton used his position in the IT support department to locate five Dell 3020 computers CES could spare.
“I reached out to Angel Andrews and Rob Hodgson, and they both fully supported the idea,” Zach said. “They gave me a response right away — no wait, no process. All I had to do was take the computers out to the Greenway School and install them.”
Zach didn’t just help bring the new computers to the school. He went the extra mile to make sure they were ready for use. He set up the computers and took pictures and notes in case the school ever needed additional tech support. “I ran the wires and set everything up myself, so if they call me and ask questions, I can help them out. The owner of the daycare is a great person and she runs an amazing daycare for those kids. I’ll never waste my time helping her out.”
Zack remembers the first time he turned on his first computer and hopes that he can provide that same life-changing experience to other kids. He looks forward to doing something like this again. “It felt good to be able to help the daycare and the 40 kids who go there,” he said. “I remember growing up and getting my first computer when I was around 5 years old. I was hooked. Working with computers was always easy for me. Thanks to that experience, I was able to do things that other kids never had a chance to do. It set me up for my path in life and got me to where I am today.”
And the kids at the school couldn’t be more excited to receive the computers. “The students continue to benefit from them daily,” said Greenway School Owner Mrs. Jo Gregory. “This summer, our enrollees participated in a virtual five-day Spanish Camp where the computers were used.”
Zach and Mrs. Gregory are no strangers. They’ve known each other for more than 15 years. “Mr. Pendleton has always been a very respectful gentleman, willing to accommodate the needs of others,” she said. “When he was in college, he volunteered to help set up some computers at our school.”
Zach is happy to have been able to use his position, along with the assistance from CES, to make this donation happen. To this CES team member, he just did what he hopes others would do in this situation, which is use the resources available to them to give back to those in need. “The kids needed computers, and I really wanted to help the daycare keep up and keep running like they’re supposed to,” Zach said. “I’m just glad that I’m able to help even more people based on the things I’ve learned since I joined CES two years ago. I have learned so much, and I just want to give a special shoutout to Angel Andrews and Kory Chester for helping me on this journey.”
The Greenway School provides quality, educational services to underserved families for children six weeks to 13 years of age. According Mrs. Gregory, the Jackson Public School System is operating virtually until January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so school-aged kids are in their facility full time, Monday through Friday. “They are excited and eager to learn,” said Mrs. Gregory. “These computers have enhanced the quality of our enrollees’ education tremendously.”
CES employs more than 3,000 people in over 500 branches across the U.S. For more information, please visit: https://www.cityelectricsupply.com/.
