Project:	Computer Refurbishing
Project Name:	Recycling Old Computer Kindly (R.O.C.K.)
User Group Name:	Central Iowa Computer Users Group (CIACUG)
Location:	Ankeny, Iowa

WHAT we do

Project Description:
The ROCK project refurbishes computers and provides them to 501(c)3 organizations as well as schools, churches and government agencies. Donations are received from local corporations as well as individuals. Requirements for donations are listed on our web site. Volunteers supply all of our labor. The donated machines are tested, cleaned and have their hard drives reformatted. We then reload them with DOS. If we have the license for a Windows operating system, we will also reload the OS. Otherwise, Linux/Open Office can be used.

The results of our work are seen in school computer labs for rural Iowa schools, local boys and girl's clubs, and e-mail capable units in nursing homes. Last year we also provided computers for a university in Afghanistan and a village in Rwanda. Documentation on the Rwanda project is available at http://www.bestcomputing.net/school/acej_lab/acej_visit.htm.

We have been able to refurbish up to 1,500 computers per year. We have been using two classrooms in an old school, but last year our landlord changed from the school district to another non-profit management organization. This plus the cost of replacing the heating/cooling systems caused our rent to skyrocket over 40%. We have always done this work for free, but this year began asking for a $5 recycling donation per monitor. We also occasionally hold a "garage sale" to sell off old components and assist with the rent.

How we will use award money:
Not stated.