ComputerCorps founder to speak at Democratic luncheon

The speaker at Monday's Democratic luncheon will be Ron Norton, founder and volunteer CEO of ComputerCorps, an internationally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to providing access to computer technology and skills training for under-served families, while eliminating electronic waste (eWaste) in our nation’s landfills.

The idea behind ComputerCorps goes back to 1990, when the co-founders gave a computer to a 72 year old widowed man. This dramatically changed the gentleman's life by providing him with an exciting new purpose for living. For the next several years, he spent hundreds of hours learning, teaching and helping other seniors learn about computers.

Following on from that experience, the ComputerCorps organization was officially formed in 1997 when a group of volunteers got together to help put recycled computers back into the community and not into the landfills. These older generation computers were tested, repaired, refurbished and upgraded, then donated at little or no cost to seniors, at-risk children, low-income families, displaced workers and disabled individuals.

The ComputerCorps organization started with four volunteers. Since its inception, more than 7,000 volunteers have donated more than 600,000 hours of their time to helping others obtain and learn about computers. The organization is organized exclusively for charitable, environmental and educational purposes.

ComputerCorps receives donations of CPU’s, monitors, printers, fax machines, copiers, components and parts from individuals, businesses and community organizations. This donated equipment is then assessed and sorted by technicians for usability as a whole or for parts. Volunteer staff then disassemble, test, repair, upgrade and reassemble the equipment to create refurbished computers, printers, and monitors. Unusable parts are recycled or sold as scrap in order to reduce landfill waste. Non-usable or surplus items are auctioned or sold to generate revenue to purchase parts and pay the light bills.

ComputerCorps donates refurbished computer equipment to deserving individuals, organizations and schools at little or no cost. Refurbishing of equipment has been an on-going project since the organization's inception, and is carried out by trained volunteers with varied backgrounds.

ComputerCorps uses refurbished computer equipment and provides computer training in basic to intermediate computer technical skills, both software and hardware at their facility. ComputerCorps currently provides computer training to low-income and at-risk youth and their families, physically or mentally challenged individuals, displaced workers seeking to develop or improve their technical skills, those in the technically-challenged part of the work force, and the senior community.

The ComputerCorps organization facilitates opportunities for individuals to volunteer to assist in the training of others, as well as community sponsorship for recipients of computers and training. Classroom training is available. Individual training for persons with special needs or circumstances can also be arranged.

ComputerCorps has established some primary recipient programs to provide computers and training to others. These include:

The Every Home ‘A’ Classroom ("EHAC") program, which provides a free computer system for qualifying families of school-aged children without a working computer in the home.

The Every Home ‘A’ Classroom Techs-In-Training ("TECHS") program to provide hands-on technical training for individuals from 15 to 90 years of age.

The Every Home ‘A’ Classroom TechCamp ("CAMP") program for 10-15 year old students during their summer break.

The Every Home ‘A’ Classroom via Volunteering program provides complete computer systems to individuals who are willing and able to volunteer their time in exchange for equipment and training.

These programs allow individuals to train in the use of computers, obtain a computer, train in the use of software, and train in refurbishing and recycling of computer equipment.

ComputerCorps’ programs are structured so that the recipient can qualify for several types of financial assistance and/or free services. Some recipients can earn volunteer credits to use in conjunction with a small cash donation to apply toward the acquisition of equipment or services.

Charges for products and services are priced at a competitive rate, usually well below market value. A limited warranty is provided on most equipment and services. Recipients are allowed to decide for themselves which services and/or volunteer time they can donate to help support the mission and goals of the organization.

The outlet store, which also serves as a donation and volunteer center, is located at 4630 US Highway 50 East in Carson City. It is open weekdays from 9 AM to 4 PM and Saturdays from 9 AM to 1 PM.

There is much more to know about this uniquely valuable community resource, so by all means come to the luncheon on Monday if you're able so you can meet and learn from Ron Norton in person.

This event is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Monday, August 7th, and can be attended either in person at Black Bear Diner, inside Max Casino, or online via Zoom. Ron's presentation will begin after all the lunch orders have been taken, around 1:30. Those wishing to be on distribution for luncheon Zoom links should contact Rich Dunn at richdunn@aol.com.