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From Home Furnishing Business
Varidesk and J.J. Barea Partner to Renovate Puerto Rico Schools
August 16,
2018 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Community / Charitable Support, Industry 
Active workspace solutions provider Varidesk has partnered with Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea, through his non-profit foundation, to help renovate four schools and bring desks and school supplies to Puerto Rico.
"Many schools in Puerto Rico were all but destroyed – and many of the existing schools are being consolidated without enough resources," said Jason McCann, co-founder and CEO of Varidesk. "We wanted to help with an immediate solution that will have a lasting impact and set students up for success."
Several months ago, Varidesk acquired a company that creates standing desks for students. The company then teamed up with Barea, a Puerto Rican native, who attended Academia Inmaculada Concepcion in Mayaguez. He returned to his alma mater and three other of the hardest hit schools on the west side of the island. Together, Barea, Varidesk and community volunteers, helped build desks and paint and rebuild basketball courts.
"The schools here still need a lot of help to recover from the hurricane, which is why I'm so thankful for this partnership with Varidesk," said Barea. "When I come home to the school I grew up in, it breaks my heart to see the devastation. I'm hoping this effort will bring hope to the students here and encourage them to keep pursuing their education. The desks are amazing, and I think the kids are going to love it. For me when I was a kid, if I could have been standing in a classroom, I would have done a lot better."
With help from Ceva Logistics, Varidesk donated nearly 500 desks for students, teachers and administrators – valued at more than $300,000 of products. The effort culminated with a basketball camp for local children and a special ceremony to rededicate the schools.
"It's been amazing to be here in Puerto Rico," said McCann. "The volunteers, the community, everybody that has been involved with us were incredible. The reward my team and I are getting is actually much bigger than simply donating 500 desks. We feel the heart, the pure love, and the pride of the people – it's about those things and the positive impact we can have. It just shows you such great hope after so much pain has hit this community, everybody is pulling together to do the right thing and we're honored to be a part of it."