Inside a CNIB Phone It Forward Session

Every phone that comes through Valet Wireless for the Phone It Forward program follows the same process: securely wiped, tested, graded, and packaged before it ships back to CNIB. On July 22, our team saw what happens after that.

The Session

From 1 to 3 p.m. at CNIB's head office, 10 participants received refurbished iPhones and sat down with CNIB's trainers to learn how to use them, not as a formality, but as the start of actually owning the device. Three members of the Valet Wireless team, including Gerry Skipwith, Alexa Kampen, and Claire Ji were there for the entire session. 

What We Saw

The devices in that room had already been through Valet's process, wiped clean of any previous data, tested for battery health and functionality, graded, and packaged with a screen protector and case. But in that room, they stopped being units in a grading queue and became someone's phone. Participants worked through setting up their iPhones, learning to use built-in accessibility features with CNIB's trainers, asking questions, trying things out, and in many cases, using tools that they hadn't had access to before.

In Alexa's Words

"Watching the Phone It Forward session at CNIB was a wonderful experience. Our configuration team spends time wiping, testing, and preparing these devices, but seeing participants explore their new iPhones for the first time, learning the accessibility features that will actually shape how they use it day to day, made that work feel real in a completely different way. The energy in the room was incredible, CNIB's trainers were patient and generous with every question, and the participants were genuinely excited to make the phone their own. I left that day very proud Valet gets to be part of giving this technology a second life."

Why It Matters

This is the piece of the process Valet doesn't usually get to see. Every device that passes through our wiping and testing stations is bound for a moment like this one, and July 22 was a reminder of what that moment actually looks like.

Get Involved

If your organization has retired devices that could be part of a story like this one, we'd love to talk about donating them through Valet Wireless.

• Donate Your Devices

• Learn More About Phone It Forward