Thoughts on our new direction, and where it all began (caution, wordy)

Good morning all,

Yesterday I built a desktop with my stepson.  It was the first time in a long time I'd done so, and it was pretty fun seeing how far technology has come, and installing hardware in the age of youtube.  Every time we got stuck, he pulled up a video on how to do whatever part we were doing.  It was a stark contrast to the first time I built a machine in 1999 or 2000, where I felt very alone and wondered at every step whether I was doing things right.  It was very nerve wracking for me not to have support, so I'm glad I was able to support his build, and that youtube was there too.  He said that even with the support, he felt nervous because he'd spent so much money on parts and he wanted it to work right and not screw it up.

Anyway, the upshot of all of this is that we now have his old laptop to donate to @gr8fullyfeclub.  So we have a few machines ready to donate (or will after today).  My question is always what is worth fixing.  It's an i7 laptop with a broken screen, and my stepson has been using it with an external monitor.  It needs a new fan too.  But with a system reset or Linux, it should be fast and functional for a while for somebody.  If @gr8fullyfeclub was a fully funded nonprofit and I wasn't spending my own money, I think the 50 or 60 it would cost for a new fan and screen would be a no-brainer.  This happens frequently, because the donated machines we get are usually donated for a reason.  Someone upgraded, or something little is wrong and it finally got too annoying to the person.  A dead battery, a cracked screen, windows was too bloated . . . . each of these little problems is worth fixing, but I shouldn't afford to fix them out of pocket.  I could start a donorschoose if I was doing this at a school, but right now I'm not.  So maybe a facebook fundraiser or a gofundme.

I think I'd like to do this full time, at least for now.  But that means making a 501c3 nonprofit or an LLC and filing separate taxes, as well as finding people to fund the nonprofit or writing grants.  I'd like to take a modest salary and pay my stepson for all the help he's been giving me.  Covid-19 has given me an emergency and a problem to solve.  Everyone now needs connectivity, and for that they need a working device.  I always thought that was an equity issue, but now it's come to the forefront because without tech, people are uninformed and unable to connect in a basic human way to their families and friends.  This leads to poor choices in the face of this pandemic, which may account for the inequities we're seeing in terms of income and race and the pandemic's deadliness.

This idea for @gr8fullyfeclub started as a "ripple effect" for my students.  Parents, Teachers, and my family and friends would give me computers to repair, and I would fix those I could, put linux on those too slow to run windows, train my students in their repair and use, and send them home with a needy student.  At first, the needy students were identified by me, using their interest in Linux and their willingness to help me as a screen.  I'd ask them basic questions without prying, such as, "what kind of computer do you have at home, " and "how many people share it, " to figure out whether the student needed it or just wanted it.  I eventually got more sophisticated, using school social workers and counselors to identify need.  I suppose I'm at my third iteration now, as Covid-19 and my new facebook friends, Winsted Neighbors Helping Neighbors is helping me identify need and put computers and tablets in the hands of those who otherwise wouldn't have connectivity.  My friend Sarah, who does an incredible amount of good around town, will start by giving them to her clients who need them to have telehealth meetings on zoom.  Her statement below:

I work for Greenwood’s Counseling Referrals. A non-profit that offers counseling and addictions services regardless of the persons ability to pay. The technology would be going to people in Litchfield County to be able to continue their mental health and addiction recovery programs through tele health services. We work with youth to adults and we are finding our clients' technology is not adequate the the tele health service.

I think this idea, that people should give their 2nd and 3rd best pieces of technology to others in need, and thereby help them connect and appreciate, so that they can then someday give to people less fortunate, is infinitely scale-able. It could be used, for instance, to solve the connectivity problems for students in Winsted and Hartford. Distance learning has put tech inequity at the forefront of education, because if a student has no internet connection or no reliable computer to access it, or shares their computer with a whole family, they will have a hard time doing their schoolwork and passing for the year. In Hartford, I know they gave out some Chromebooks, but not everyone was covered. Even if they were, they might not have good internet connectivity unless they go to McDonalds or a library, where they might spread Corona. In Winsted, I know Gilbert gave out Chromebooks, but again, without reliable internet service they aren't fully effective.

I am grateful that I have the technology that I have, and it's a privilege I try not to take for granted. I have two laptops, a shared iPad, and two fast smartphones, which is a silly amount of tech for one person. I also have fast internet, a good router, and a working printer and scanner. I have enough tech that my 8 year old and 18 year old, and my wife, can all work on schoolwork or stream videos or play video games at the same time. My contention is that my 3rd best of everything should be donated to people who don't have that privilege. I have personally given away at least 5 laptops in the last 10 years, as well as several phones and tablets. This keeps me from hoarding them, but it also helped innumerable people connect. These people in turn gave away their old tech to people in their lives, thus creating the ripple of gratitude and connectivity that I'm striving for.

I think I learned this idea from my cooperating teacher, Mark Flaherty. Whenever he did something nice for me, I'd try to pay him back even though I couldn't afford it at the time. He always brushed off my attempt, saying that I would someday do something nice for someone else. It was one of my first encounters with paying it forward from a non-family member. It left an impression on me, and I hope that what I do with technology and Linux is in some small way paying it forward from the kindness he showed me when I needed it. I also was primed in this sort of thinking by my family. We always did for others in our family, especially the elderly and the infirm, without asking for anything in return. We'd have Prelli work parties to help people move, or shovel my grandma's snow, or do yard or garden work. I think this ethic growing up prepared me for the "Pay it Forward" mindset I received from Mr. Flaherty, and eventually led to the genesis of my fledgling charity.