Microsoft Store recently teamed up with the Garth Brooks’ Teammates for Kids Foundation and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s The First Down Fund to provide 32 deserving schools in the Phoenix and Minneapolis areas with Microsoft technology and devices.

It’s part of the organizations’ shared commitment to support educators and students and a belief that effective use of technology in schools can transform teaching and learning. Helping develop digital literacy in students is crucial to setting them up for success in school and beyond, and we are proud to be a part of this effort to level the playing field for all students. Each school received custom Digital Literacy All-Star packages including Surface Go devices, keyboards and Microsoft Office access. Larry and Garth worked closely with local Microsoft Store associates to surprise students, teachers and administrators at the selected schools.

It’s not the first time Microsoft Store has collaborated with these philanthropies. Microsoft Store has contributed to the Teammates for Kids Child Life Zones program to outfit hospitals with Microsoft devices and technology. When the Teammates for Kids Foundation started in 1999, it wanted to work with leaders like Microsoft to close opportunity gaps and give kids all around the world an even start and shot at success, and the foundation is excited to continue this work.

“It’s matches my priorities to partner up as teammates and try to level that playing field for these students by working with Microsoft and Garth Brooks’ foundation… to make sure that these students have even opportunity to succeed in school and in life.”

Larry says he’s inspired by the chance to help others and give well-deserving kids a better start, getting them one step closer to achieving their dreams. He sees both Phoenix, where he plays, and Minneapolis, where he grew up, as “home fields,” giving him a personal connection to both areas.

As an extension of this collaboration, Microsoft Store also launched the Digital Skills All-Star Program, a collection of community-based workshops hosted for student groups taking place at Microsoft Store locations across the U.S., led by all-star athletes who are passionate about giving back to their communities and helping elevate students’ digital skills in three areas: coding, entrepreneurship and STEM learning. Since the first store opening in 2009, Microsoft Store has been committed to offering free, year-round workshops, trainings and programs to the communities where it operates, so the new workshops are a perfect extension of our mission.

Jessica Wicklund, Marketing Events Manager, Microsoft Store, stated “Microsoft Store locations around the country are the fabric of local communities where they operate and empower nonprofits and local organizations to achieve more through the latest technology that Microsoft offers. The Microsoft Store Digital Skills All-Star Program is such an integral part of achieving this mission and by partnering with The First Down Fund and Teammates for Kids we are bringing digital literacy skills and the best technology to students.”

Visit Teammates for Kids and First Down Fund to learn more about Garth and Larry’s organizations. For more information on Microsoft Store’s Digital Skills All-Star Program and other community workshops and events, visit your local Microsoft Store in person or online.