Engineers and managers from National Life, Cognizant, and Competitive Computing have all been working together to make old computers like new again for nonprofit organizations in Vermont and Texas.
As NLG computer equipment ages, and the warranties on computers expire every few years, members of National Life’s Desk-side Support and End User Computing teams regularly work to retire older machines and deploy more modern replacements. Although these older machines may no longer be a good match for NLG employees, some of them still have a lot of usability left in them, and with some TLC, they can be a match to do good in the areas where we work and serve.
Dena Jackson (left) and Tony Bennett (right) deliver laptops to Ken Watterson (center), President of the Veterans Resource Center in Dallas.
First, old machines are identified from stock that are in good physical working order. Next, they are cleaned up, both inside and outside, by disinfecting the outside surfaces, and then digitally “wiping” all the data from the hard drives. Next, a fresh and licensed copy of Windows 10 is installed, along with the most recent updates from Microsoft, as well as any other software as appropriate. Finally, the computers go through a quality check, organizations are identified to receive them, documentation is prepared, and then the machines ready to be donated.
The first ten laptops were given to the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington last Thursday. Tanya Benosky and Joyce McEntee were on hand to receive the donation from Magesh Elangovan. Tanya, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club, shared that most laptops will be used in their CyberCafe which all kids can access and a few will be given to low-income students who are preparing for college.
Next, Dena Jackson and Danny LeBlanc visited the Veterans Resource Center in Dallas on Friday where they donated ten more laptops. Ken Watterson, President of the Center, received the computers, explaining they’ll replace outdated ThinkPads made available to veterans who need computer access for employment searches, general benefits, housing, and more.
Feature photo: Magesh Elangovan (left) delivers laptops to Tanya Benosky (center) and Joyce McEntee (right) of the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington.