Computers4Kids (C4K) is a youth mentorship program based out of Charlottesville VA, that teaches STEM-related skills to students in 6th-12th grade. Their members (what they call the students) are under privileged kids who have a love of learning, technology, and science—but come from families that lack the means to develop those interests.

We’re obviously huge fans of the work they’re doing. Members work with their mentors on a semester-long project, that can be anything from creating a 3D printed chess set, to a programmable drone, or even a VR haunted house!

Members spend their time engaging in hands-on activities, learning new skills, exploring software applications, and producing projects that have meaning and relevance in their lives.

They also offer workshops, field trips, and access to a makerspace called The Clubhouse, where members can explore a variety of STEM activities. Beyond that, we especially owe them our thanks, as C4K gave our own Quintus Flannagan the guidance he needed to take his first steps into the technology world.

Quintus shared that he was 13 years old and fascinated by computers, but it was having those hands-on opportunities that got him interested in working with computers as a career. After a member completes their project, C4K gifts the member their own personal computer. Like a good engineer, Quintus immediately got to work taking it apart, breaking it, and figuring out how to put it back together.

“C4K is a big reason I’m even at Simple Thread. I serve on the C4K Development Committee to find funding for programs to recreate the cycle for other kids.

An important lesson I learned is you can’t be afraid to try new opportunities to accomplish what you want to do. Your whole life can change through technology if you’re passionate about it”.

To learn more about C4K, or to make a donation of your own, you can visit them at https://c4kclubhouse.org/