Fund a Need

Help New Orleans High School Students Learn Computer Tech Skills

Donations are sought to change the lives of up to 75 high school students in the poorest areas of post-Katrina New Orleans. Students will study computer technology, including troubleshooting skills and repair techniques, for three weeks in June, preparing for CompTIA A+ certification. This will not only lead to job opportunities in hardware and software technical support but also encourage increased achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Enrollment in post-secondary education is also an anticipated outcome.

We are fortunate to be collaborating with the University of New Orleans' New Beginnings School Foundation to offer this 3-week intensive IT Boot Camp for high school students who have grown up in the hard-hit communities of Lakeview, Gentilly and Pontchartrain Park. Even before the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, many of these students had already experienced the ravages of poverty. Most have had limited access to technology at school. Students will not only gain practical skills as computer technicians but also learn underlying concepts in computer science and powerful reasoning skills that generalize to most areas of endeavor. Students will return to their own high schools with new career options as well as the ability to help out at their neighborhood schools by providing IT support for their teachers and families.

The following additional donations are still urgently needed to enable us to proceed with the effort:

	Memory Additional RAM, video cards, and optical drives for the 100 Dell computers are still needed to enable the students to upgrade them sufficiently to run the Windows 7 operating system. Besides the obvious benefits of upgrading the computers, the task of performing the upgrade provides an authentic, hands-on example to illustrate the concepts being taught. (A request to Dell for the required in-kind donation is currently pending.)
	Airline Tickets Air fare (2 round trip tickets from San Francisco) is still needed for two of the Instructors. (In-kind donations of travel vouchers are being requested from major airlines that serve this route.)
	Various Expenses Approximately $15,000.00 is needed to defray various other expenses, including meals, ground transportion, materials, and Instructor fees (for two out of the three weeks).
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As of May 15, 2010, the following donations have already been pledged:

The State of Louisiana's Department of Education has donated 100 refurbished Dell OptiPlex GX280 computers with Windows XP. Students will each keep one of these computers after completing the course. The remaining computers will go to public schools in their communities.
Belkin Corporation has donated 100 Computer Toolkits and 100 Anti-Static Wrist Straps for this and related workshops. Each student will keep their toolkit and wrist strap.
Through its MSDN Academic Alliance, the National Society of Black Engineers has agreed to provide each of the students with access to the latest Windows operating systems and associated software (through a nominal student membership fee).
Mr. Gilbert Bennett, Technology Specialist and Project Organizer, is providing furnished accommodations for up to three visiting Instructors for the entire 3-week duration of the workshop.
The University of New Orleans' Capital One Charter School Network is providing release time to enable Mr. Bennett to organize and help lead the workshops.
Each of the three visiting Instructors from The Miller Institute for Learning with Technology (Mark L. Miller, Ph.D., Loren B. Parkhurst, and Pedro Flecha) has promised to donate one of the three weeks of instruction as volunteer service, to help reduce project costs and stretch cash donations as far as possible.
The Miller Institute for Learning with Technology is similarly waiving any fees, beyond its actual expenses and overhead, to help make this unique program possible.

Our nonprofit organization has a long history of offering similar summer workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area; for example, this video shows some of our students building powerful, see through computers, from parts. It is time for us to reach out and share our expertise with our neighbors in New Orleans.

Because of the scope of this effort in New Orleans, and the opportunity to make a life-changing difference for these young people, we believe that sponsors of this summer tech camp may have the opportunity for significant media visibility, especially in light of the recent oil spill that further threatens the livelihoods of New Orleans residents. We also hope that our efforts will establish a model for other communities to emulate. Please join forces with us, and with the already-committed sponsors listed above, to make this possible. We are so close that we can almost taste the gumbo and hear that great music! Unless otherwise requested, all donors will be recognized on our web site and in print materials provided to families and the press, including sponsor logos, URLs, and our own written acknowledgements. Since we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, donations are tax-deductible.

Many of these students have survived some of the most difficult times and circumstances imaginable in our country; and yet another catastrophic setback now faces this region. Help us give them this chance to learn 21st century skills that could change the direction of their lives. Even small contributions are greatly appreciated. Your donation will generate untold goodwill, not only in New Orleans, but among the many people who care about the plight of the people who live in this great city. We need to complete our fund-raising within the next few weeks, or postpone for a year. We cannot succeed without your help!

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