Future Shop awards $210,000 to 15 elementary schools through Future Generation Tech Lab Grant program

BURNABY, BC, Sept. 18, 2013 /CNW/ - Future Shop's Future Generation Tech Lab program is pleased to announce the 15 elementary schools across Canada who will receive funds to improve their classroom technology and elevate student learning. Collectively, $210,000 will be awarded to schools from Vancouver Island to New Brunswick.

"Future Shop is thrilled with the response we received in our first year of inviting elementary applications, so much so that we decided to award an additional $110,000 in grants. We're confident the amazing transformations we've seen in our 48 secondary school grant recipients will be mirrored by these 15 schools," said Andrea Farnell, Community Relations Manager, Future Shop. "At Future Shop, we believe access to modern technology is critical to building students' confidence and creativity."

The 15 schools receiving a Future Shop Future Generation Tech Lab Grant are:

• McBride Annex Elementary School, Vancouver, BC
• Oceanside Middle School, Parksville, BC
• G.S. Lakie Middle School, Lethbridge, AB
• Gladys McDonald School, Regina, SK
• McHugh Public School, Brampton, ON
• Princess Elizabeth Public School, London, ON
• Rawlinson Community School, Toronto, ON
• Sharon Public School, Sharon, ON
• St Ann School, Thunder Bay, ON
• Viscount Alexander Public School, Ottawa, ON
• Lionel-Groulx/Monseigneur-Bazinet, Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, QC
• Roslyn Elementary School, Montreal, QC
• Grand Bay Primary School, Grand Bay-Westfield, NB
• Saint Mary's Academy, Edmundston, NB
• Stanley Elementary School, Stanley, NB

The grants will be used at each school's discretion to purchase the technology and equipment they need to keep students inspired, motivated and empowered as they progress through their studies. Some of the projects put forward by the winning schools include a literary arts program powered by e-readers, tablets for assistive technology, and a major tech upgrade to change one school's library experience. Beginning the week of September 23^rd, cheque presentations will be made to the above schools by representatives of their local Future Shop stores.

Future Shop received nearly 150 elementary school applications that were judged by an inter-departmental panel of Future Shop associates and staff.

Founded in 2008, the Future Shop Future Generation Tech Lab program has awarded more than $1.75 million in monetary grants to 63 schools seeking resources to update the classroom technology necessary to inspire, motivate and empower today's students. The goal of the program is reducing the digital and economic divide for youth by providing them with modern technology to stay inspired as they move into post-secondary education and into the workforce.

For more information about Future Shop's Future Generation Tech Lab program, visit www.futureshop.ca/techlab.

About Future Shop
With 140 stores across the country and the nation's premier web store (www.futureshop.ca), Burnaby, BC-based Future Shop is Canada's largest retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics. The company employs more than 10,000 technology enthusiasts, has enabled its website, Futureshop.ca, to deliver unparalleled content about the products it sells. Futureshop.ca also hosts an online community forum and tech blog called Tech Yeah for technology beginners and tech-savvy experts to exchange ideas, reviews, tips and other consumer electronics information (www.futureshop.ca/techyeah). As a proud corporate citizen, Future Shop has developed solutions to recycle used electronics and is committed to employee volunteerism and supporting non-profit organizations dedicated to transforming local youth into Future Leaders (see www.futureshop.ca/futuregeneration).

SOURCE: Future Shop