Home » Special interest group resources » NCTech4Good -- Where tech meets social change » Meeting summaries and handouts

2010/01/18: MLK Day of Service: Help families with their new computers

Submitted by hallman on Wed, 01/27/2010 - 10:18pm

Martin Luther King Jr.  Day of Service, January 18, 2010: Help families with their new computers
Location: United Way of the Greater Triangle, 2400 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 150, Morrisville
Leader: Joe Burgess, Manager, Teaming for Technology, United Way of the Greater Triangle
Website: http://www.meetup.com/NCTech4Good/calendar/11999446/

Summary from Joe Burgess:

Team,
 
I want to thank everyone so much for helping out on Monday!  What an impressive turnout!  In all we had 53 volunteers show up & 2 big projects going on at the same time.  Never before have we had such a dedicated group volunteer with such enthusiasm!
 
Indoors we were able to help 10 individuals gain a better understanding of how to keep their home computer in good working order, & outside we cleaned several hundred computers, nearly a thousand keyboards & mice!  Here are photos of the event:
Photos from MLK Day of Service
 
I want to thank all the volunteers who helped setup the computer room & provide the training.  I also want to thank everyone who brought food & snacks.
 
As some of you know, we will host a 2nd iTrain-to-Excel family technology awareness training on Feb 13th @ Wade Edwards Learning Lab across from Broughton HS.  I’ll be sending out another eVite in the coming days for all who are interested.
 
Thanks again!
 
Joe Burgess
Manager, Teaming for Technology

News Release: Middle Class Express Holds Computer Training Event
by Andy Huyck

United Way of the Greater Triangle hosted a computer training fair on Martin Luther King Day for the Wake County-sponsored program Middle Class Express. Fifteen Wake County families were given training in several areas of computer usage.

Volunteer trainers from all walks of life – retirees, college students seeking a way to honor MLK Service Day – manned 5 computer stations around the large conference room at United Way headquarters. The program covered 5 main areas of computer usage:

  1. Using the Internet (How to do searches, emailing)
  2. MS Office and Documents
  3. Computer security
  4. Computer Set-up
  5. Customizing a computer & How to use Windows

The program operated in a round robin process so that all 15 families had the opportunity to take advantage of each training station.

Drew Meyer oversaw the computer training session for Wake County HR. He says the mission of Middle Class Express is to help families reach the middle class in 5 years. Learning how to use a computer, along with having computer access in their homes, is considered to be extremely important in this process.

Middle Class Express participants are clients of Wake County HR and must qualify to be in the program:

  • Agree to work with a life coach
  • Be employed or pursuing and education
  • Be active in their kids’ school
  • Be screened for need
  • Be Wake County residents

Those attending the training fair said their main reasons for wanting the training was to be able to help their children with school work and to be able to conduct job searches.

While some program participants have learned to use computers at work, others have not. Participating in the computer training fair gave them a chance to learn how to use computers in their everyday lives. Attendee Wanda Hunter, who won one of the computers in a program-sponsored raffle, said she was especially glad to have the computer available for her daughter, who came to the fair with her. Attendee Bobby Williams said his main goal was to be able to help his daughter with job searches.

Participating in the computer training fair gave them a chance to learn how to use computers in their everyday lives. The cost of internet access is a problem for program participants. AT&T offers home internet access to program participants without bundling phone service with it, which lowers the cost. Plus, one of the benefits of the training fair is that after completing the training, attendees were able to buy one of the computers for $30, which includes the hard drive and keyboard but no monitor.

Another computer fair will be held again on Saturday, February 13, 2010, at Wade Edwards Learning Lab at 714 St. Mary’s St. in Raleigh. Drew Meyers says the Saturday date should encourage more families to attend.

Director of the United Way program Teaming For Technology Joe Burgess says the fair used computers donated to the United Way’s by corporate donors, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NC. United Way cleans the computers and installs new software on the hard drives, which arrive wiped clear by the corporate donors. He stressed that any donated monitors would be welcome. On the day of the training fair, volunteers were gathered in the parking lot cleaning computers and keyboards so they can be refurbished in the United Way’s computer lab. The refurbished computers are then donated to area schools.

Burgess says the United Way also accepts privately donated computers. Those that can’t be used are sent Synergy Recycling, an NC-based company, so the toxic chemicals and precious metals can be recaptured.

Photos
by Andy Huyck


A volunteer trainer shows kids the United Way website.


Bobby Williams learns about the Internet so he can help his daughter with job searches.


Duke IT grad student and volunteer Mia Barnes teaches an attendee about managing documents.


Learning about computer security issues.


MLK Service Day volunteers smile after working hard cleaning donated computers.


NCSU student and volunteer Khalia talks to an attendee about computer setup.


RTPNet board member Mike Rulison talks to an attendee.


Stan Holt enjoys showing kids of volunteers and attendees how to have fun on the computer.


United Way computer lab manager Al Reynolds shows attendees how a computer's hardware works.


Volunteers from Shaw University clean computers in honor of MLK Service Day.


Volunteers and attendees at the computer training stations.


Wanda Hunter learns about MS Office.

Comments from NCTech4Good participants (posted at on the Meetup site):

I was very pleased at the turn out today for this program. My boys enjoyed helping. I actually had to make them stop so we could get home! We were there until around four oclock and people were still working hard! JOE awesome thing you all are doing! I almost did not come because in my mind a DAY OFF but I am so extremely glad we came. We will be there for anything you all do as long as we can get there. Thanks again for what you all are doing for families. I look forward to the next event!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a wonderful turn out for this event. I had a great time meeting new people, helping where ever needed and learning more about what the United Way is doing for the local community. It was a great experience being part of a new program watching people walk away with newly built computers and receiving education to help them out. I look forward to helping out at future events and encourage others to also participate.

Enjoyed setting up the desktops and teaching safe computing and security tips.

I was looking for a service project for MLK Day and this one was really good. I met some nice people there and everyone worked hard to remove the hard drives (and dust!) from hundreds of computers, clean computer peripherals, etc. (The hard drives were to be re-imaged and reused in the computers.) My group worked outside, as the weather was beautiful. The United Way facility is very clean. It's great knowing that this project will make computers accessible to many families and help to narrow the digital divide.

More great photos