Businesses upgrading their computer systems have given Computer Corps USA the raw materials to provide more than 100 computers to nonprofit and educational programs.
Volunteers at the Carson City-based organization will upgrade the basic machines with CD-ROM. and hard drives, more memory and sound cards before distributing them at low cost to various programs, Corps program director Ron Norton said.
Irwin Union bank, which opened a branch in Carson City in December, has given the Corps 110 Compaq computers that were used by the bank's mortgage division, Greg Nixon, the bank's president for Carson City/Northern Nevada, said.
The computers have either high-end 486 or Pentium processors but are otherwise pretty basic, Norton said, since they were used on networks and did not need large amounts of memory or hard disk space. Sound cards and modems are standard for many users but are rare on business machines, he said.
"So we usually end up buying components to upgrade these machines to what is considered a functional level," Jenkins said. "When we have the financial resources companies often give us excellent deals on the parts we needs and sometimes we receive donations that complement our needs."
That's been happening with the Compaqs. Norton said the Reno telemarketing center of Excel Telecommunications recently upgraded to larger computer monitors and gave the old ones to Computer Corps. they just happened to be Compaq brand, so volunteers are assembling matched sets.
"And Cubix (the Carson-based manufacturer of computer network file servers and related equipment) has been very generous in passing on the hard drives and memories that were pulled as they upgraded customer's equipment," Norton said.
Hard drives and memory that are considered too small for current networks seem generous when installed in personal computers.
The Irwin Union computers recently arrived in Carson City from several of the bank's mortgage offices. Norton gave Nixon a tour Friday of the Corps warehouse and training facilities on Highway 50 East.
"This is just one example of how businesses are able to support programs that benefit schools and the community," Nixon said.
"Irwin Union Bank is committed to supporting the community. I expect that this is just the beginning of that commitment and we'll see many other examples in the future."
"Even with getting low prices on components, we often invest $100-150 in a donated computer upgrading it to work well with Windows 95," Norton said. "We'll be able to pass these machines along for less, since everything has come together this way. This is truly a joint community effort and, of course, it still wouldn't have been possible without our volunteers."
Many of the Corps' volunteers work in its Morgan Mill Road headquarters or its warehouse on Highway 50 East, stripping down and testing computers, monitors and printers as they come in, making repairs when possible and assembling usable systems.
Other volunteers provide computer training, including several programs recently developed for seniors that Norton said are running at capacity. The Corps also provides training to clients in a variety of non-profit or educational programs. And people who volunteer for the Corps don't need to be experts in computing - the Corps trains them, too.
Completed systems are passed along at the Corps' cost, which is significantly less than similar computers could be bought on the open market, or sometimes at no cost,according to Norton. The non-profit organization is not in competition with computer retailers because the recipients don't have the financial means to buy new computers.
The Corps' funding comes entirely from those sales, donations and fund raising efforts. For instance, some of the training programs have a fee, but the Corps has packaged a Windows 95 computer, six months of classes, several basic software packages and free repairs into a $500 "50-Plus Program" for seniors. Raffles and other fund raisers are conducted on a regular basis.
Computer Corps USA
P.O. Box 636
Carson City, NV 89701
(775)882-8787
http://www.computercorps.org