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Trash to Treasure07/25/2008 - 7/25/08 Triad Business Journal From there, the computers are sold at a very small cost to those who would otherwise not have access to technology. The proceeds then go to support the organization and other nonprofits. The HandyCapable command center buzzes with activity as volunteers with disabilities including, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, mental retardation and deafness work tirelessly to rework the systems. "I really think we're unique in the number of ways that one donation can help," says Barbara Davis, founder of HandyCapable. "It helps you by getting the technology off your hands, it provides job training to individuals who don't have a lot of job opportunities, it helps the person we give it to and their families and it helps the nonprofits the proceeds go to." Her motto is that she wants to see "a mouse in every house." As of May, the program has provided more than 1,000 computers to the community, including about 240 this year alone to seventh- and eighth-grade students from low-income homes. "One of the things I say all the time is that computer literacy is basic literacy," she says. "The technology divide between the haves and the have-nots is growing, so if we can get (the have-nots) a fully-functional computer for a $35 co-pay, we can bring them right into the 21st century." But HandyCapable isn't the only place in the Triad that accepts unwanted computers. In October 2006, Dell and Goodwill Industries launched a partnership called the Reconnect program, under which businesses and individuals are both able to drop off their old computers free-of-charge. They also offer free pickup services to any businesses willing to donate. If the computers are salvageable, the hard drives are wiped clean according to Department of Defense standards and are then resold at several Goodwill locations across the region. Proceeds go back into Goodwill's job training. If they are beyond use, the technology is broken down and the parts are recycled for reuse. "The whole purpose is to keep the unwanted electronics out of our landfills" and cut down on e-waste, says Jaymie Eichorn, director of marketing and communications for Goodwill of Northwest North Carolina. "And we're able to reap some value out of (the technology) for work force development." Of North Carolina's 100 counties, 49 participate in the program, which also covers seven other states. One of the goals is to have participation in all 100 counties, says Donna Oldham, senior communications manager for Dell in Winston-Salem. Another giveaway option for businesses is the High Point Chamber of Commerce's PCs for GEDs program. During the past five years, the chamber has taken technology donations from businesses, the vast majority of which are chamber members, and then given them to Guilford Technicial Community College. There, the computers are refurbished by students in the school's information technology classes. Once that is complete, the computers are given to graduates of the GED program. "Guilford Tech benefits in two ways," says Larry Craven, director of work force development and education for the chamber. "The GED graduates who might not have had access to computers otherwise get free computers, and the students in the IT classes get practice in the kind of hands-on work they will see once they get into the workplace." The program has given away more than 600 computers since its inception five years ago. One aspect officials with all the programs agree upon is that, as Craven says, "It's a multi generational thing. When a computer gets into a home, it trickles down to the family." Davis routinely calls those who have received computers from HandyCapable to gauge the technology's effect. She remembers one such call in which she asked the mother of the home how many people were making use of the computer; the response was enthusiastic. "'Just the people who live here, or all the kids who come over to do their homework?'" Davis recalls the woman asking. According to Moore's Law, one of the guiding principles of the technology industry, the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles about every two years. In other words, the shelf life of new technology will continue to be fleeting. But giving away the computers to nonprofits is not the only option for overstocked businesses. Once turnover has begun, some companies offer their employees the opportunities to buy the technology back at heavily discounted prices. Those proceeds are often then donated to charity. One option that has been explored in the past was small businesses taking on the hand-me-down hardware and using it for their own purposes. However, as technology improves so rapidly and becomes less expensive, that is becoming less feasible. For small businesses, "there's not much left in (hand-me-down hardware) because technology has become so affordable that the uncertainties introduced with second-hand technologies are high enough that they outweigh the savings in many cases," says Robin Britt Jr. Britt is president of Nexus Technology, a program that assists nonprofits in implementing their own technology systems and managing them internally. He strongly recommends donating computers to nonprofits. Nonprofits can use all the help they can get, as the amount of money they receive from the community is not what it used to be, says Davis, of HandyCapable. But that hasn't stopped her from looking for more ways to help the technology-deprived community. In fact, HandyCapable is partnering with another nonprofit, Phoenix Networks, to provide Internet, along with computers, to a low-income apartment complex in what will be a pilot project. "If people are interested in seeing their computers help others, then bring them to a place that puts them back into the community," Davis says. -------- As reported by Bo Wulf of the Triad Business Journal. |
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