Laptops for Learning

Jeff Williams is the founder of TEK Collaborative. Operating from their office in Amesbury, MA, TEK Collaborative provides refurbished laptops and Chromebooks to people in need throughout Essex county. Jeff began this initiative in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic when he watched his daughter's classmates and teachers struggle with remote learning due to a lack of access to reliable internet enabled devices. Jeff started by distributing a few devices of his own that he had gathered over his many years working in IT. It quickly became apparent that there was a much greater need than was first realized. Jeff launched a GoFundMe campaign called "Laptops for Learning" and over about an eight month period raised about $12,000. Every dollar that was collected was used to acquire devices that could be distributed to anyone in need. In 2021 a partnership with the Essex County Community Foundation was formed and TEK Collaborative was born. The "TEK" in TEK Collaborative stands for Technology, Education, and Kindness which are the principles that brought forth this initiative. Together with the ECCF, TEK Collaborative has distributed over 1000 laptops and Chromebooks to individuals and organizations throughout Essex County as part of the ECCF Digital Equity initiative. Devices are provided free of charge, and when coupled with the many free internet hotspots being rolled out, the mission of closing the digital divide can become a reality. Jeff lives in Amesbury, MA. He is married to Elizabeth Hockmeyer-Williams, together they have one daughter, Eleanor (13), and 5 dogs.