Palmetto PC Club ComputerAid SIG

(Community Service Group)

 

            I.      EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Our goal of providing usable computers for underprivileged people is being accomplished with 80 computers provided, allowing two groups to subsequently obtain training grants not otherwise available.

         II.      OBJECTIVE: The ComputerAid SIG was formed in the spring of 2006 to provide computer-related services to the disadvantaged people of the Greater Columbia Area. Generally, this consists of reconditioning and installing free software on old computers to give away. Some consulting help to recipients is included.

     III.      RESULTS: A group of 3 – 6 Club Members has placed roughly 80 donated (scrapped) computers to a variety of underprivileged individuals and support groups. Typical groups include

1.      An AHEPA (American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) Home for disadvantaged senior citizens, (15 computers),

2.    The Greater Columbia Literary Council (12 computers)

3.     The Nurturing Center (6 computers)

4.    The Women’s Shelter (10 computers)

The last two groups were both able to secure grants to provide computer-aided training based on the fact that they now had computers available! We feel that this is a major success of our effort.

The remaining computers went to various deserving others, such as a low-income learning-disabled child.

      IV.      ORGANIZATIONAL STEPS: Following are the steps that we took to get the group operational and ongoing – in a club with a relatively small number of available participants – the total Club membership is about 75.

1.      Define your Objective. In our case we stuck to helping underprivileged and at-risk people – including children , only, since others (children in general, etc.) have many agencies already helping them.

2.    Obtain your working group. We did this via e-mail to our membership roster, asking for replies from people who would help. We have about 6 people who work with the computers at various times and around 6 others who help with advice, etc.

3.     Develop a means of communication within the group. We did this by setting up a ComputerAid SIG Listserv, where anyone in the group can e-mail all the others through the Listserv. This means that individual personal lists by everyone do not need to be maintained.

4.    Locate computers to be recycled. We found someone who has a community-related electronic newsletter, and he was glad to address donations in the Newsletter – it resulted in several large donations of computers with stripped hard drives.

5.     Find software. We have no money, so, as a minimum, we used Umbutu and OpenOffice to provide free Operating Systems and usable application software. What we soon found was that we could ask the computer donors to provide us with the original Operating Systems to reinstall -  so were able to have a substantial number of the computers with Windows XP. We now know to be sure to try to get all the original software.

6.    Find a location where the computers can be stored when given. This became a major problem and we ended up with a Member storing the computers in a large garage that he has at home.

7.     Find a location where group members can work on the computers. Hopefully, it will be the same place where they are stored, but you might have to work on the computers at your home or the recipient’s location. Thus far, our work has been done at the recipient location or a member’s house.

8.    Find a place for your scrap.

9.    Find someone to help you pick up discarded computers and deliver refurbished computers.

10.                        Find a legitimate organization(s) to help you distribute the computers to worthy recipients. We use Fast Forward Community Technology Center, The Nurturing Center, and The Women’s Shelter.

11.  Find Organizations to provide computer education to the new computer owners. Currently we work with Fast Forward. Fast Forward works in a community technology center with programs for students, seniors, the disabled and people returning to the workforce.

         V.      WATCH for THESE PROBLEM AREAS:

1.      Finding a Storage Area.

2.    Finding a Working Area.

3.     Find someone to help you pick up discarded computers and deliver refurbished computers.

4.    Find Software –other than free software.

VI. USE OF POTENTIAL JERRY AWARD MONEY: Potential Award money will go primarily toward buying software at charitable rates. Some might be devoted to storage and working space.