Computers 4 Kids
An email chain:
From: Me To: Jesse
Hello, we met briefly at Old Chicago a couple months ago. Well, I guess it wasn’t “brief”; I was there with a bunch of friends (including a former student of yours) and you and a friend joined our table and had dinner and drinks. You were pretty sloshed, so I don’t expect you to remember.
Anyway, my old computer equipment is beginning to pile up again and I was looking for places in town to donate a bunch of it. I did a little Googling around and saw that you did computer consultation for the Chamber at a reduced price ($100/hr is reduced?) as long as equipment was donated to Computers For Kids, so I know you’re at least a little interested in spreading the tech, so to speak.
About 5 or 6 months ago, an article ran in the Casper Journal about a couple of guys that were taking computer hardware donations, refurbishing what they could into working systems, and selling them for $100-$200 to low-income families (and, I would assume, non-profit organizations, etc). I donated, literally, a truckload of stuff to these guys and never heard from them again. They vanished into thin air. Neither are listed in the phone book anymore, and the numbers that WERE listed no longer work. I thought that was a very noble cause. Why not pick up where they left off?
Throw together a frakenstein of 5-year-old parts, slap a (friendly, non-intimidating) Linux distro on it, and suddenly grandma, who couldn’t afford a pre-fabbed box on social security, can email. I figure something like that (what would basically amount to internet/word processing machines) could be sold for a LOT less than the $100-$200 those other two guys were planning, or could be donated to youth groups or whatever.
Anyway, it’s basically a total shot in the dark that you would be interested, just thought I’d hit you with the idea and see what you thought. The two guys that tried it before told me they had TONS of donations. I really don’t think getting hardware would be a problem. Besides, I need to do something a little less wasteful with all the computer hardware I have laying around than just throwing it out.
So, that’s the idea. Get back to me and tell me what you think.
Cheers,
Bill
(Not sure why I ended with “cheers”….)
From: Jesse To: Me
Hi Bill!
The program you should look at is called Computers 4 kids, run by the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce Technology Committee. We have been taking donated computers, loading Win98 (academic/home use only license) and a bunch of freeware such as open office and games on them and GIVING them to low income families.
The program can always use people to help out and good donations. There is a current stock-pile of computers that need to be reformatted, reloaded and such.
Right now they also need someone to take ownership of the CD’s and make copies as needed. (Win98 CD, OpenCD, and a CD of utilities and Games)
There will also be an e-recycling day early next year sponsored by the city and they will need people to work that day sorting through the computers to see what should be saved and given to the needy and what should be tossed.
I am moving down to Denver, so I won’t be much help any more, so the People to contact are:
Craig H. Swain
Casper Area Chamber of Commerce technology Committee Chair
*contact info removed…*or
Nancy Pawlowski, Committee Liaison
Casper Area Chamber of Commerce
*contact info removed…*Give me a call on my cell if you want to chat, I’m off to play some golf.
Jesse Rauch
*cell number removed…obviously*
From: Me To: Craig
Hello,
I recently contacted Jesse Rauch about a program that would recycle older computer hardware into usable systems for low-income families, non-profit organizations, youth groups, etc etc, unaware that such a program already existed in Casper. I believe very strongly in the principle of technology for everybody. He said that the program was always in need of extra hands, and I would love to help out.If the program is short of volunteers, I can be reached at *contact info removed…obviously*
Thanks.
From: Craig To: Me
You are more than welcome to help out. Our group meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:30 am at the Village Inn downtown. The next meeting will be September 8th. I hope we’ll see you there.
Thanks!
Craig
I’ve never really felt strongly enough about something to volunteer my time, but I DO believe that everybody has the right to a computer. I also happen to believe that everybody has a right to internet access, but the telco’s seem to disagree with me (I pay *cough*sixty dollars a month*cough* for my 3mpbs connection…terrible).
That 7:30AM thing will be the death of me, but christ, it’s only once a month. I’ll deal with it to be a part of this. Should be fun.
