The iT (Immanuel Temple AME) Donates Laptops
More than 100 seniors from the Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Class of 2018 headed off to college this fall with new hope and new hardware. Broward County is home to thousands of homeless students. The 120 BCPS graduating seniors among that population arrived this fall with brand new laptops in hand, presented to them by The Immanuel Temple AME Church and its Kingdom Partners. “We wanted to celebrate the hard work of these remarkable students and help them get a head start on the next phase of their education,” said the Rev. John F. White, II, the pastor and founder of the Pembroke Pines, Florida-based congregation.
Gift-wrapped with vibrant red paper and adorned with messages of encouragement and congratulations, the computers, which averaged $200 a piece, were presented to the students at a graduation party on June 7. The technology giveaway is part of The Immanuel Temple’s continuing LOL Love Out Loud outreach ministry through which members of the congregation and its Kingdom Partners share time and resources to tangibly impact and improve the lives of children and families in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties and beyond.
Through its LOL Love Out Loud efforts, The iT, and its partners annually purchase a school uniform (top and bottom) for hundreds of local public school students in need; provide homeless children with a yearly pre-Easter shopping trip to Marshalls department store; provide free lunches for five area schools for Teacher’s Appreciation Week; furnish Haitian and Swaziland orphanages with Christmas gifts, food, clothing, and other household supplies throughout the year; among other activities.
Members of The iT, who gave special offerings above and beyond their tithes to purchase the laptops, were joined by the South Broward Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; the South Broward County Chapter of LINKS, Inc.; the Transit Workers Union; other individuals; and large and small businesses.
BCPS, the nation’s sixth-largest public school system, serves some 2,254 students identified as homeless through its Homeless Education Assistance Resource Team (H.E.A.R.T.).
