Nonprofit computer agency deals second-hand good deeds

LINDA STEWART BALL

As Warren Harris went from place to place, setting up newer, faster, state-of-the-art computer systems for clients, the Plano man was frequently asked the same questions.

"What can I do with my old computer? Do you want to take it?"

Mr. Harris, who owns the Plano-based Computer Wizard, which does repairs, upgrades and onsite services, used to say no. He didn't need your outdated system. And he hadn't a clue what you might do with it.

But he doesn't say that anymore.

Now it's "Thanks! We'll find homes for these."

And he does.

The computers he and his tiny staff refurbish for free are bound for the homes of Plano schoolchildren whose families could never consider buying a computer. They couldn't afford one. Food, clothing and rent understandably take precedence over a computer monitor, hard-drive and printer.

"What's really sad is we see a lot of kids who are behind in school because they just don't have a basic home computer," Mr. Harris said.

Mr. Harris and his crew also donate refurbished computers and office equipment to nonprofit agencies.

So far, the Turning Point, formerly the Rape Crisis Center of Collin County, has received a gorgeous Ricoh collating copier while Borchardt Elementary got an HP Laserjet III for its new literacy program.

"It's my observation, in this day and age, that quite frequently, the disparity in lifestyle between the haves and the have-nots is largely due to a lack of information," Mr. Harris said. "And computers really connect us to the rest of the world, very easily and inexpensively."

Making the link

He said it occurred to him last fall that he could be one of those connections. To do that he has created a nonprofit organization. It's called the Foundation for Uniting Technology with Recipients - or FUTR as in "the children are our future."

Naturally he has a Web site: www.futr.org. And he's completing the IRS paperwork needed to get 501(c)(3) status. He figures more people will be willing to give if it's a tax write-off.

"We'd really like to reach the people at the bigger corporations that have downsized and now have a lot of extra equipment," Mr. Harris said. "That would be really useful."

Their mission is two-fold:

They want to give computers to those who wouldn't have a chance of getting one anytime soon, "whose life would benefit from getting one," he said. They're also helping to save Mother Earth by recycling. The California native said people often just throw out their old computers. "We want to keep as much of this out of the landfill as possible," Mr. Harris said.

When Geegee Thorn, who coordinates the HOSTS mentoring program at Mendenhall
Elementary School in Plano, learned about FUTR she immediately called.

"We have a lot of kids who could use them," Ms. Thorn said. "We've gone over twice to get computers for our students. It's awesome."

On their first trek, this month, Ms. Thorn said, they took 10 families along. "It was wonderful," she said. "But I think it was a little too much."

She said Mr. Harris and his volunteers were a bit overwhelmed by all the people. So Ms. Thorn said they scaled back to two families when they returned last week for more computers. They'll continue to keep it to one or two in the future. That way recipients don't have to wait as long while Mr. Harris or other volunteers explain how to use the equipment, which includes printers, monitors and basic Windows.

"They have Notepad on them so the kids can write stories and poems for school, which was my goal," said Ms. Thorn, explaining that the basic word processing software is another plus.

Although these are second-hand computers, Mr. Harris said they're at least Pentium 200 - anything older than that is just "too slow and too frustrating for people to use."

Yard sale

But if somebody's got an antique, Mr. Harris said they won't turn their nose up at it. FUTR is having its first fund-raiser - a yard sale July 13 on the Computer Wizard's parking lot at 2804 Regal Road, Suite 105, just north of 15th Street and east of Independence.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. folks can get great deals on computer components, some complete computers, office chairs, scanners, dot matrix printers, microwaves and even a few reconditioned laser printers.

Proceeds from the sale will be funneled back into FUTR.

Mr. Harris, chairman of the Plano Chamber of Commerce's technology committee, is really just getting started with this charitable project.

There are obviously other companies working on a larger scale and nonprofits, such as Forrest Outreach Foundation, which donates brand new computer systems and provides ongoing assistance to needy Plano schoolchildren.

Mr. Harris, on the other hand, is just one man with a three-person staff. He saw a need in his area of expertise, and rather than whine that somebody really ought to do something, he decided to be that somebody.

I don't think he wants a pat on the back. But if you've got a computer you're not using, you might send it his way. Call 972-781-0011 or pull up the Web site.

And if there are any bilingual techies or computer-literate folks out there willing to donate their time to provide some follow-up support to these students, call Mr. Harris or Ms. Thorn.

E-mail LSBall@dallasnews.com

or call 214-977-6968.

Dallas Morning News, July 7, 2002 reprinted by permission