Tech for Education: Vivacity Tech Makes a Difference for ACES

Since its founding in 2018, Vivacity Tech has provided technology hardware to more than 2,000 school districts across the United States as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). Vivacity’s mission goes far beyond sales and profits, extending to support students, schools, and communities. From technology product donations to providing PTO for employee volunteerism, to financial support for mission-aligned education causes, Vivacity has proven its commitment to social responsibility – and ACES is fortunate to be a partner and beneficiary.

Volunteers from Vivacity Tech volunteered during an ACES Community Cleanup at partner school Northeast College Prep, January 2024

ACES and Vivacity first connected after Vivacity's CEO, Eli Maloley, was a guest at the 2022 All-Star Evening celebration. Eli connected with ACES staff following the event, and Vivacity quickly stepped up to support ACES as a sponsor of the 2023 All-Star Evening. A few months later, at the invitation of Jenni Severson, Vivacity's Vice President of People & Community, ACES staff participated in the company's annual Community Engagement Day. Following this, in January 2024, an enthusiastic group of employees from Vivacity’s Saint Paul office spent an entire afternoon volunteering at an ACES Community Cleanup event. The hardworking Vivacity volunteers supported teachers at ACES partner school Northeast College Prep with classroom organization, school supply maintenance, and lots of laminating!

This spring, Vivacity’s support for ACES grew to new heights with a transformative donation of 36 Chromebook laptops. The donation, which also included, accompanying Google Student accounts and a charging cart, has unlocked new possibilities for the ACES curriculum. With our own set of Chromebooks, ACES has already expanded our in-class “Hour of Code” coding workshops to schools that would not otherwise have been able to participate. Chromebooks have also been incorporated into regular programming – and students and staff are noticing the difference. 

ACES students at Hamline Elementary with Chromebooks donated by Vivacity Tech

“When the Chromebooks arrived at the ACES office, we wasted no time unboxing them, configuring accounts, and getting them out to our sites right away,” said Malcolm Baker, ACES Program Director. “The tech-enhanced programming we can now offer with the Chromebooks takes ACES’s hands-on, experiential learning to new heights.”

Bea, a 5th grader at Hamline Elementary, reports, "It's fun to use the Chromebooks. I like to play math games on them or Kahoot!*" Site Manager Sara Sunderman has seen the Chromebooks increase engagement and participation in her classes. She reflects, "Having the Chromebooks has been a great way to add variety to our ACES programming. Now we are able to do new activities that we otherwise didn't have the technology to do, which increases student engagement and learning. The youth get very excited when they see the Chromebooks are going to be part of the ACES day."

Jenni Severson, Vivacity’s Vice President of People and Community, shares, “Vivacity Tech is proud to support ACES in their mission to provide equitable education opportunities. By donating Chromebooks and participating in volunteer activities, we aim to empower students and enhance their learning experiences. Our collaboration with ACES reflects our commitment to community engagement and social responsibility.”

This summer, ACES’s program team is hard at work preparing for next school year – including a comprehensive review and refresh of our original curriculum. The donated Chromebooks will allow ACES to better incorporate technology and teach computer skills that are important for all future leaders. Thanks to the generous support of Vivacity Tech, we look forward to expanding these opportunities and continuing an impactful partnership in support of our Minnesota students.

Learn more about Vivacity Tech at https://vivacitytech.com/.  

*Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform ACES utilizes for math skill practice and quizzes.