Free Computer Raffle

"What is a free raffle?" - The price of the ticket is simply attending the event at Turning Point Church in downtown Bowling Green on Dec 6th. We will be taking donations of course but there is no obligation.

"What is the event about?" - Computers for Charity is hosting a book signing and a presentation by Travis Breeding the author of the book "I Want Be Like You - life with Asperger's Syndrome."

This event is for families who have been touched by Autism Spectrum Disorders or for those who would like to know more about Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and how they can relate to those with the disorder. It is also about Travis and his struggle and acceptance of the diagnosis of this disorder.

It is also an opportunity for you to meet some of the volunteers from Computers for Charity. We are striving to build connections with other charities and causes in our community to help them to obtain the technological resources they need to support their missions as well as their clients. We will also be serving free refreshments, hosting a bake sale and having the computer raffle to raise funds that will be used to repair more computers for those in need.

"What are the prizes in the raffle?" - We have some goodies from the hard working Techs at Computers for Charity.

Antec Aria Matx Cube Computer: This unit has everything you need in a compact design that makes it easy to fit conveniently any desk or on a shelf of your entertainment unit. This will also include the keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers.

We've installed the stable and versatile Ubuntu operating system for your convenience. Surf the web, check your email or play games. You could also set this up as a Media Streaming PC and enjoy your favorite movies music and more through your entertainment center.

Panosonic Toughbooks: The Toughbook is lightweight yet durable. Compact yet powerful. Slips easily into a briefcase, handling or carry-on. Built with legendary Toughbook reliability, unparalleled portability and integrated Wi-Fi, . The integrated touch screen works with the touch of a finger or a stylus. This lightweight wonder is perfect for students or professionals.

The Toghbooks will come pre-installed with the Linux operating system for your speed and stability while your on the go. Also included is Open Office, a versatile office suite that allows you to read and modify documents form almost any other office program and allows you to save directly to PDF.

Bootable Thumbdrives. Bring your entire operating system, desktop, applications , files, email, personal settings, favorites, games and more with you. It’s your own personal operating system you can carry in your pocket. You will be able to boot and run from any computer that can boot from the USB flash device.

This allows to work in your own environment, without making any changes to the host computer you are using. Nothing gets installed on the computer, and your files and applications remain safe on your thumbdrive. This gives you added security and privacy when your using a friends computer or are using a public computer. This can also be used for data recovery in case of a Windows Meltdown as you can boot to your thumb drive and restore the data that is not accessible by the host computers Windows installation.

All in all, we hope this will be a fun and informative event for you and our family. We hope to give you the opportunity to mingle and make new friends from a variety of backgrounds and abilities. We hope you will be touched and inspired to face and overcome your own limitations in life. As the father of a child with multiple disabilities I know first hand that the challenges can seem insurmountable, but with faith, hope and charity we can overcome all obstacles in life.

Hope to see you there!

Dec 6th 2010 6PM to 8 PM

Turning Point Church

252 South Main Street

Bowling Green, Ohio 43402

What is Computers for Charity?

What is Computers for Charity

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Computer Basics

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What good does a computer do a child?

Providing a child with a computer is a gateway to a whole new level of education. Its one thing for them to work with computers at school to edit documents and learn typing skills. Its' a whole different world that opens up when they have the opportunity to use one at home for recreation and social activities as well. Computing and communication technology continue to make an ever-increasing impact on all aspects of cognition, education and training throughout a child's life.

Statistics bear this out and I know this from experience. When I was growing up in the 1980's we were one of the few families on the block who had a computer. It was a commodore-64 and it was the coolest thing around. Children would come over just to check this thing out. It could play games and you could compose midi music on it! We had a room devoted to the computer and my two brothers and I would spend hours working together in our 'pirates cave' creating games in the Basic programming language.

There was no Internet but there was a system of local and remote BBS's (bulletin board systems) where you could post text comments and download files. Obviously as technology moved forward, these systems are arcane and obsolete, but they provided us with the framework to understand the emerging technologies of today. All three of us pursued degrees in technology and are working in some way or another in technology fields.

Just having the computer available to us to play with gave us an ongoing educational life experience that cannot be replicated in a classroom!

Fast forward to today. Can any one of us imagine our life without a computer? Can you picture a world without being able to Google, Yahoo, Email, Blog, Social Network, Job hunt, E-bay, and name a billion other things right at your fingertips? Some children in this country live in that world.

Computers are not the end in and of themselves but the ability to access and share information on demand is. Not only do children do homework on computers in the public schools but in many cases they upload it to the classroom right from home. Imagine being the kid still turning in paper reports!

This is what we call the 'digital divide'. It does not seem that important on the surface but its a chasm to cross as these children grow up and try to pursue a career in any field! It hinders their ability to work with and understand emerging technologies that will define the future of our country and the world. If you've ever provided technical support you know what I'm talking about. Certain things should just be basic knowledge. Using a computer is one of them.

Consider the fact that Americans junk almost 3 million tons of electronics every year and this amount is increasing! Lots of this waste goes into our landfills where it pollutes our local environment for years to come. Every time a computer is dumped in a landfill also represents a missed opportunity to provide information aged tools to a disadvantaged families. We can do better!

For more information on how you can donate your computer to be refurbished for a charitable cause please go to http://computersforcharity.webs.com/