24-hour online event to take place from noon April 15 to noon April 16
The participants in the nonprofit Sarasota Technology Users Group (STUG) — who refurbish computers to “like new” condition and donate them to those in need — are hoping that the 24-hour, online Giving Challenge next week will provide support for their Refurb Project, as they have noted in an announcement.
Their work, a news release explains, helps “to bridge our communities’ digital divide.”
Their efforts have provided students, seniors, young adults and other nonprofit organizations with computers to support education, certification initiatives, job training and communications with family members, the release points out. “In 2025, after 15 years of nonprofit work, the STUG Refurb Project reached a major milestone of delivering more than 25,000 computers to residents in need,” the release says.
“The Refurb Project is supported by volunteers and funded through community grants and individual donations,” the release continues.
The 2026 Giving Challenge will take place from noon on April 15 to noon on April 16, the release notes.
Organized by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the event supports charitable causes and other types of philanthropic work in Sarasota and surrounding counties, the release says. Every “unique donation given during the challenge will be matched up to $100 by the Patterson Foundation,” the release points out.
All donations are made online with a credit card, the release adds, cautioning, “Visiting the site early may lead to an error message”:
https://www.givingchallenge.org/organizations/sarasota-technology-users-group
The expenses for the Refurb Project include rent for its facility, which is located at 3949 Sawyer Road in Sarasota, and the expense of “new parts for computer repairs (computers, laptops, tablets, phones, etc.),” the release continues. Most of the technology is donated by individuals, local organizations such as the Sarasota County Schools, foundations, and local companies, such as Goodwill Manasota, the release adds. Some of the equipment is provided through community drives, it notes.