Community Computer Upcycle
2025-05-20
A few weeks back I began thinking about the possibility of starting up a local community project to upcycle older computers. I contacted a local nonprofit where a friend works, Madison County Recovery Allies (MCRA), as well as my local regional library where I've been volunteering for several years. I sent both orgs a proposal and both want to join in.
I met with the friend at the MCRA two weeks ago and we discussed the goals and a game plan for getting started. Last week we set up a work area for processing computers in one of the unused rooms. We've got 3 donated desktops that are likely candidates for Linux installs. These will be used for a small onsite computer lab for MCRA clients. I'm hoping to get the first installs done in the next week or so. It seems reasonable that the lab could be ready for use in early June. I'd also like to be able to offer one-to-one tutoring to help anyone interested in learning apps like LibreOffice Writer or Calc.
At least one local business has expressed an eagerness to support the project though we have not formally reached out to them or any other yet. I'm excited as it now seems that not only is this project going to happen, but it's going to start off with a lot of support. I meet Friday with the library to discuss their interest in the project and what role they would like to play. By the end of May or the first week of June I'd like to send out an appeal to local businesses for donations of old computers. That, combined with an article I expect will get written in the local paper, should see us off to a good start in getting an initial wave of donated computers as well as generating awareness of the project in general.
I'm hopeful that June, the first full month of the project could see us off to a busy start. I expect to be doing all the work myself during the first couple of months but I'm hopeful that a person or two in the community might be interested in volunteering. My current thoughts on volunteer hours would be two days, five hours each. One day for Linux installations, one for tutoring/training, split between the two locations which are just a couple blocks from one another.
I hope to have another update in a couple weeks after I've made a bit of real progress.
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