SAN ANGELO, TX — About 50 laptops were donated Tuesday to local veterans in a partnership aimed at improving their access to employment opportunities, training and online services.
West Texas Counseling & Guidance Director of Veteran Services Jason Sikora said they organized the event at the Cactus Hotel after receiving a call about a month and a half ago from state Rep. Drew Darby’s office.
Darby's office asked if West Texas Counseling & Guidance could help distribute the devices from AT&T and Compudopt to veterans who could use them for better employment and training.
“Before I thought about it, I said yes because that’s typically how I roll,” Sikora said. “And then after I hung up the phone, I said, ‘All right, I got some work to do.’”
Sikora coordinated with AT&T, Compudopt and Darby’s office, drawing on a network of community partners that includes the Concho Valley Workforce Development Board, MHMR Concho Valley, county veteran service officers, Tom Green County Judge Lane Carter, the Texas Veterans Commission and others spanning West Texas and beyond.
Some veterans attended the event; others will receive the laptops later through free coordination or pickup, Sikora said.
Matt Foster of AT&T’s External Affairs Department, a former U.S. Army service member, said the devices address practical barriers.
“It seems like you can’t do literally anything with the VA at this point in life without a computer,” Foster said. “There’s anywhere you can apply for a job at this point in the world that doesn’t require you to do it online,” with one noted exception for paper applications in the Senate.
AT&T focuses on bridging the digital divide for groups including veterans, he said, praising the local network and Darby’s advocacy.
Darby called the donation a small token of appreciation for veterans’ service to the country, state and region.
“We’re here as a small token of our appreciation and service that our veterans have given to our country, certainly to this state and to this region,” Darby said.
He thanked AT&T, McCoy, MHMR Concho Valley CEO Greg Rowe and other partners, adding that the community is better because of the daily sacrifices of those serving veterans.
Sikora noted that veterans collecting laptops could also access free mental health therapy for themselves, family members and qualifying children; help from two veteran service officers on VA disability claims, GI Bill enrollment and related matters; peer mentors and therapists; and workforce development training funds available for those within three years of military transition, in addition to the GI Bill.
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