Verrill Dana is pleased to donate more than 15 of its computers after a recent upgrade to Spark Academy, co-founded by Verrill Dana attorney Tom Bean, and to The Girls Foundation of Tanzania, co-founded by Beth Currier, now Secretary of the Foundation and wife of Verrill Dana attorney Doug Currier.

“Computers play a vital role in education, however, we find that many schools lack the funding and resources needed to ensure they have enough adequate technology,” said K.C. Jones, Managing Partner at Verrill Dana. “We were glad for the opportunity to provide these students with access to the wealth of educational tools only available through a computer.”

Founded just over four years ago, Spark Academy is a public middle school in Lawrence, Massachusetts, that intertwines academics and physical activity throughout an extended school day. The computers will be used by the students to improve their computer literacy through conducting online research, completing online assessments, and the use of word processors to type papers.

The Girls Foundation of Tanzania provides secondary school fees for promising young girls from impoverished families. The Foundation also provides a home, The Girls Center, where 18 girls live and study. The computers will be used at the Center to help the girls learn typing and computer skills, and to give them access to educational computer programs and tutorials. The computers will also be used with the Girls Foundation’s community outreach program to help additional girls apply to Tanzanian Universities and for government loans. All applications must be submitted online and many girls have no access to a computer or the internet.