HP has given me a laptop and printer to give away…

Really!

They emailed me to say they are giving away laptop and printer bundles as part of their Create Change program, which highlights how individuals and technology are creating change in the world. More on the campaign here.

So here’s the deal. Write in comments one great, brief story about how technology helps you transform lives. Use all those great storytelling skills. I’ll give you till Friday to post your comments. Then I’ll pick the most moving story and HP will send that person a laptop and printer. That’s it. Everyone else who posts gets copy of Switch (the one book to read if you’re trying to change the world) until my supply of 25 is gone. (Books sent in order of comments.) So you can’t lose. Either way, you get something to help you do more good.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/08 at 10:18 PM

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This story is about awakening imaginations and opportunities, and it isn’t about me.

My wife, Nickie, is a 4th grade elementary school teacher working in Southern California.

She got into teaching because she loves to do two things: help each of her students to believe in their own capabilities, and get them excited about learning and their futures.

One of the ways she does this is through use of technology. Last year she was able to raise some money for an ELMO which can project images from a doc camera or what’s on her computer. This means she can share a variety of information and stimulating content with her whole class, and the learning can be interactive as they whatever is projected can be videos, papers from each student, and so on. It has opened up some great possibilities.

Bad news - the state is facing huge budget cuts on top of already small financing for the teachers. And even though Nickie has gotten the ELMO the school computer is outdated, and she has to print the majority of worksheets for her students at home, which isn’t the greatest printer either.

So here’s the scoop. Technology can transform educational opportunities for kids everywhere, and it doesn’t have to be that big to make an impact.

I would like to suggest that Nickie be given the HP laptop and printer bundle so she can:

- Awaken her students imaginations through educational technology.
- Create better and up to date resources for her students using the software on the HP laptop.
- Give her and her students a sense of hope that education is still cared about (it’s tough right now).

To awakening a child’s imagination and lighting their future.

Thanks.

Reuben

Posted by Reuben on 02/08 at 11:14 PM

At first, I thought about the nonprofit at which I work, a professional ballet company. I thought about how it has provided access to dance in areas around the country and world that otherwise wouldn’t get to see it. We’re able to share our art form and who we are around the world.

Then I thought about another organization I’m involved with, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership - where we train current high school sophomores (up and coming leaders) on how to think, not what to think. The organization changes the lives of all who attend (definitely changed mine!), as well as all those who come into contact with these fine leaders. All in exactly one weekend. Beyond that, we charge every alumni to go back to their community and volunteer to help make a difference. Some have even started their own NPOs (offhand, I know of one student alumni who began one as a teenager to help the homeless).

Today’s alumni are connected around the world via the internet. People who spend one weekend a year with each other, make some of the best friends of their life, and can remain in touch. They organize alumni events (centered on volunteer activities like helping the homeless or reading to children in hospitals) through web sites and Facebook.

I had to rely on snail mail to keep in touch with my newly found friends. It’s a very special thing to see the difference now as an already empowered and motivated group of kids worldwide can converse and organize themselves even faster and better.

Does the program change their lives? Absolutely. Does it change the lives of everyone they encounter? Without question. The future is in great hands and I’m completely proud of them each and every year.

All of that, and I’m still going to say that Reuben’s wife sounds amazing and deserves this HP bundle. Me? I’m just lucky enough to be a part of HOBY and know the people that are going to make a difference in this world much sooner than people realize.

Posted by Matt Holsinger on 02/08 at 11:53 PM

I’ve seen technology do a lot of things over the years, and transform lives is one of them.

I work in higher education at a private liberal arts college in Michigan. As a part of the College Advancement team we are responsible for many things: pr, events, fundraising just to name a few. But we have one goal rooted at the center of everything we do. That is to help our constituents foster lifelong relationships with each other and the college.

Technology has advanced this mission in so many ways, it’s hard to remember what life was like without it. Through initiatives such as social media/networking, real-time chat sessions, and an online community for alumni we are able to interact with so many more ways thanks to technology.

For me, it can be something as simple as a Tweet from a constituent that they are proud of their alma matter or a Facebook post from a prospective student that they just were accepted to our institution. Those interactions are priceless.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 09:56 AM

We have created an e-Advocacy network where we send out alerts about public policy issues that affect the people we serve. We use a program from Capitol Advantage that enables network members to quickly and easily send email message to their state or federal representatives and/or the Governor. At the state level, we believe this effort has influenced some legislative decisions. One legislator complained (good-naturedly) that he’d had hundreds of messages on the issue from “the Lutherans.”

Posted by Barbara Lewis on 02/09 at 10:32 AM

A local mom had her heart broken when her ex-husband did not return their two boys to her after a visitation last year.

Her life and soul was seemingly ripped from her when the two boys and their father were discovered in a remote wooded, snow-covered area - victims of a murder/suicide.

Shortly after that incident, our Domestic Violence shelter was in danger of being closed due to funding cuts, and we had implemented a fundraiser using Facebook Causes. Amy, the bereaved mom, was a “friend of a friend of friend”, and one of those friends had supported us through that cause. Amy, a Survivor, and her friends quickly utilized their Facebook accounts to spread the word that, without their help, Neville House was in danger of closing down, and this would eliminate all victim services for the whole of our county.

Amy’s request for people to donate reached the local newspaper, who ran a domestic violence theme for three days - including Amy’s appeal and the plight of the shelter.

I believe that it is as a direct result of this story running “through the wire” - from our website to Facebook to the local media - that our shelter is still operating. We have had to eliminate a staff position, and now need to replace funding that has been cut by a different source. but the victims of domestic violence in our county still can find shelter in their time of need, and can still access support services to enable them to become Survivors.

Posted by Vikki Baptiste on 02/09 at 10:39 AM

I work in advertising - so it shouldn’t be anything exceptional for me to understand the power of technology. However - following the recent earthquakes in Haiti, I was lucky enough to be part of a truly inspiring harnessing of technology.
Our client is one of the large global not for profit organizations, and when a disaster strikes (like the tsunami, or Haiti), they call us immediately to develop and execute a campaign to raise awareness, and more importantly, funds.
Within a few hours, we had media booked, creative teams developing ads, and online media banners distributed.
Within 16 hours of the disaster, money was starting to pour in from those online media banners. Our text-to-give campaign was seeing thousands of messages, and the phone lines were lit up with callers.
The response to that disaster has been amazing - but I believe what has truly made the biggest difference was that people who cared were able to find ways to give very quickly after the news broke. Through newer channels, like online, SMS, and even Facebook apps, people could give, and give quickly.
I am very proud to have been involved in helping raise funds for Haiti, and to date, our client has raised tens of millions as a direct result of our efforts.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 10:50 AM

For Thomas, being diagnosed with Bone Marrow Cancer was devastating. But to hear that his insurance co-pay for the medication he needed to live would be over $2,000 a month was more than he could withstand. He was prepared to surrender to the cancer, let it overtake his body.

Living with a chronic illness can be physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging. What most people don’t consider is the financial burden that comes along with a chronic illness. We believe that battling a chronic disease is difficult enough without having to deal with the financial stress of figuring out how to pay for unaffordable medication. We lift the financial burden and provide immediate relief to patients so they can go on living.

How does technology help us transform lives? By utilizing state-of –the-art technology patients can easily and quickly get the medication they need within weeks of applying for funding. Online tools for disease management and compliance metrics allow patients to experience the full benefits of their treatment and monitor their health over time.

We enable patients to take charge of their disease by providing the funding and the online tools to successfully treat their illness. Thomas was preparing himself to die. Thankfully, through our program he was able to get the medication he needed, and track the progress of his treatment online, and overcome the cancer. Thomas was able to embrace life.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 10:58 AM

I work part-time (meaning part of the year) for a small not-for-profit summer camp and retreat center. For the most part, we promote camp and retreating as a way to take a break from your technology habit or to cut the wires for a while. Get out from in front of the computer, put the cellphone away, and have a face to face conversation, reconnect with nature, see if you can be still enough that the dragonfly will actually land on your head, experience the forest with fresh snow, you get the idea…

One way in which we use technology to our advantage—Technology has made it possible for us to bring the mystical experience of summer camp into the lives of our campers’ parents and families (most of whom live in the city and have lost their connection to nature)—incredible larger than life multimedia presentations at the end of each session that we could not do without technology. Children are having the opportunity to participate in the creation of these by being able to use technology to capture the moments that are special to them, to coordinate the music, etc. Without simple easy to use hardware and software, only adults would be involved in the endeavor.

We would love to put your HP computer and printer to work for us and for the young people whose lives we are able to touch. We believe we are changing the world one camper at a time, one family at a time. Get outside…You’ll be glad you did!

Posted by Tink Rabey-Hall on 02/09 at 11:01 AM

My friend grew up in upper-middle-class Seattle in a big house in the Wallingford neighborhood. Long summer days, espresso aplenty. Life is beautiful.

But she dreamed bigger than her own comfort and fell in love with a man who runs an orphanage in Mozambique.

Today, Christina and her husband Victor run an orphange that routinely cares for 50-60 children. Many are orphaned by AIDS, malaria, other diseases.

The Maranata Orphanage has needs far beyond a computer, but a dependable computer and printer would be a blessing beyond measure.

Thank for considering.

Seth

P.S. Christina keeps a blog. Though she’s not a professional writer, she’s one heck of a communicator. You can catch her at: http://victorandchristina.blogspot.com/

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 11:51 AM

We are an organization trying to change. Like many non-profits, we have the old guard and the new guard working sometimes together and sometimes not to ensure that we don’t become irrelevant. A fate of many United Ways across the country.

The new guard is made up of a small group of employees that believe that it’s time to start focusing on our donors and spend less time talking about how great we are. We believe that figuring out how to make social media work and create relationships with donors beyond their annual gift are imperative to our future. Technology is a part of our future.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 12:18 PM

This is more of a “what would we do if we won” story: I’m on the board for the Pioneers Park Nature Center, a large park of managed natural prairie. We have trails, a preschool, an education/experience center (LEED building with living roof), camps and community programming, even a one-room heritage school that all of the city’s fourth graders attend for a day. It is nominally funded with city funds, and our Friends Board helps bridge the funding between what the city can do and what the park needs to survive, stay accessible to all, and flourish.

Our main challenge right now is a shortfall as the city cuts the parks budget and we are faced with implementing fees or finding other funding sources to keep the park free to all visitors. Regardless of the path we choose to move forward, we need to build stronger relationships with our visitors and the residents of our city to build our base of support. What I would like to do if we were to have this laptop and printer is to use it as we build and implement a social media plan.

With a very small core paid staff and a huge reliance on volunteers, social media has never been attempted before launching a Facebook page this year. Posts have been a little sporadic, some provoking response, some not so much. We know basically what we need to be doing, but need an up-to-date, portable means by which a variety of individuals can contribute to, eventually, a blog, FLICKR site, and FB posts/Twitter feed. With great photo ops, events and timely topics (environmental stewardship, bringing children to the outdoors, wellness) the possibilities are endless. We are working on a plan to ensure that input to these sources are ongoing, relevant, interesting/useful for people, and get at the ultimate goal, which is building stronger relationships between the Center and its visitors/surrounding community.

So the laptop and printer would be a huge help to an organization that has barely been able to afford moving past a mimeograph machine (I’m exaggerating, but not a whole lot). So that is my pitch. Thanks for asking, Beth.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 12:37 PM

What do you think when someone tells you they play chess? Mainly that they must be pretty smart, because, well, only smart people play chess, right?

The small non-profit I have the privilege of working for is turning that perception on its head. We use chess as a way to help kids be successful not only in school but beyond. Kids who aren’t perceived to be smart, or who won’t amount to much of anything—simply because of where they live.

We work with kids in Title I schools across Oregon; kids who are living at or below the poverty line, who have challenging home lives and whose parents are barely making it. Many have to move multiple times during the year, to where their parents can find work or to escape dangerous living situations. For a child, the chaos can be daunting.

Chess is a positive constant in their lives and through chess, children thrive, despite the challenges they may face.

Our program is in Title I schools, we do not charge students, parents or schools anything for our program and we know, because we have had our program studied, that it works. The students we serve (K-8th grade) do better in math and in reading, do better in standardized testing and have higher self-esteem. Because they are learning a challenging, fun game that most people are intimidated by.

We are small, very grass-roots and depend heavily on technology to serve the schools we work with and the students in our program. A majority of our charitable support goes right back into fulfilling our mission, leaving little for investment in technology that would help us continue to fulfill our mission at the highest level and spread the word about the work we do that is changing the lives of students every day.

Posted by Paul on 02/09 at 12:38 PM

In 2008, Habitat for Humanity-Greater Columbus launched AccessAll Columbus, a program designed to connect our partner families (low-income homeowners) with in-home access to technology. We believe that by helping our families bridge the “digital divide” - the unequal access to information and communications technology, and the unequal acquisition of related skills - we are fulfilling our mission of empowering families and helping them break the cycle of poverty.

Through AccessAll Columbus, partner families are provided with donated computer equipment that has been completely refurbished and upgraded, as well as internet access. Through this program, more than 60 families have already attended one of 25 computer training courses that we have offered in the past two years. Our homeowners can sharpen their skills and pursue their educational goals through this initiative, can track and manage their finances, and their children won’t enter school at a technical disadvantage. Computers are helping struggling, low-income families to help themselves. Technology has opened up the world to them, and has initiated a cascade of possibilities that will ripple through their communities for generations to come. Now, that’s impact.

Posted by Maureen McCormick on 02/09 at 12:41 PM

CNPS uses technnology in a variety of ways: GPS systems locate and plot vegetation and rare plans, providing data for a variety of uses. In 2010, we’ll be using this technology to get citizens involved in protecting rare plans and getting outdoors through our Rare Plant Treasure Hunt—we also hope to use social networking to spread the word, build excitement and enthusiasm and educate participants about conservation issues throughout the state.

Posted by Jack Tracey on 02/09 at 01:10 PM

I work for an American Red Cross Chapter in Ohio. In the last year we have embraced social media and technology to share stories of people who use Red Cross services during times of crisis. The connections we have made with our clients, volunteers and their friends and family have been amazing. We are able to reach so many people we would otherwise not have come into contact with.

We recently told the story of a mother who worked with the Red Cross to get an emergency communication to her son serving in Afghanistan. The morning after that story was posted on our blog her son and many family and friends joined our facebook fan page! He was still serving overseas at the time and is now connected to the work we are doing to help others. Amazing.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 01:49 PM

I believe technology helps transform lives by creating awareness about issues that otherwise would have no space. Two years ago I spent a month volunteering at an orphanage in Ghana. I helped a teacher with his classroom, helping the kids with their math skills, spelling, and even doing a few science projects. This privately run orphanage in the middle of Hohoe, Ghana was doing great things - and without technology and the internet, no one outside of a 5 mile radius would know.

One of the orphanage’s administrators was tech-savvy enough to go to a local internet cafe and build a website. He even adds all volunteers to an e-newsletter list and consistently sends updates and pictures. Their website is great - there is information on volunteering, donating, and even a blog on the most current happenings. With these emails I receive and the link to this website, I can send links to my friends and family and keep the awareness about this place alive.

Without the support of international donors, this orphanage would not have been able to build the chicken coop they just completed. Technology is absolutely transforming the lives of these orphans.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 02:31 PM

And sorry about the “Beth” thing - I had a flashback of some kind. My apologies, and thanks for asking, Katya.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 02:54 PM

I run a nonprofit, Girl Power 2 Cure, to raise awareness and research funds for Rett Syndrome, the most severe of the autism spectrum disorders that only affects girls.

My daughter Sarah was diagnosed at age 4. She cannot walk, talk or use her hands. She needs help with every aspect of her life.

Many families are struggling for the right tools, the right information…and only have a few moments in the wee hours of the morning to hunt and peck.

That is why we decided to start http://www.RettGirl.org! Using WordPress’s amazing software technology, we are able to offer around the clock support for these families through a dynamic database of products, tips, doctors, therapists…the works!

We are looking to hire an intern and could greatly benefit from a laptop/printer system to get them set up to keep the site running smoothly and getting more and more families to use our free services at RettGirl.org!

Thank you!
Ingrid Harding
Founder and President
Girl Power 2 Cure, Inc.
http://www.girlpower2cure.org

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 03:00 PM

It must be an sobering experience to look back at your life from when you were maintaining fighter planes in Korea in the mid-60s to now, when your wife doesn’t know who you are and preparing daily, nutritious meals is harder than you expected.

For Gordy, its all in stride with fond memories of the past and a positive outlook for tomorrow. He knows that putting his wife in a nursing facility would bankrupt them, so he manages to care for 100%, with a little help from Meals on Wheels.

At Metro Meals on Wheels, we work every day to communicate these important messages about our neighbors. Sharing Gordy’s story is an important part of our community history. We’re working to try to do that through video.

With the help of friends and volunteers, we borrow video cameras, computers, and digital cameras to capture and create 1-minute snippets of our Meals on Wheels stories. A laptop and printer would give us technological independence, offering more efficient and timely opportunities to produce, catalog, and communicate what needs to be said.

Posted by Katey on 02/09 at 03:09 PM

I don’t think I have the ego to say I transform lives - with technology or not. Technology transforms my life and allows me to stay in closer contact with my family in Oklahoma. I have a weekly webcamming date with my now 5-year-old nephew, which wouldn’t be possible without technology. And the ability to see him every week definitely transforms MY life and hopefully his.

Posted by mari on 02/09 at 04:46 PM

Brenda had a problem; although she would never call it that. Brenda is a registered foster-care provider and houses mostly African American urban boys who have found themselves in the ‘system’ for one reason or another.

The problem? Too many kids needing her services and not enough space for them all. With the two Victorian houses converted to foster-care facilities at capacity, Brenda needed financing to renovate the third house that she was able to purchase with existing organizational funds (which included substantial chunks of personal assets put up by members of her Board). Her community was supporting her endeavor, but her local ‘mainstream’ financial institutions were not.

Brenda, feeling as though she had exhausted her network of potential financing options, took to the internet and found our community development loan fund’s (recently upgraded) website. She promptly sent a financing package with coverletter to the attention of our Director of Lending who was able to quickly review her project and come up with a solution; we would finance the renovations to the home for the 16 additional boys who needed a safe-haven, by partnering with two other community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in her city.

Through the simple act of having an online presence, using email to transfer documents, having construction drawings scanned and posted online for us to view, and having a website that allows access to our application, we were able to help Brenda provide a beautifully renovated home in an urban neighborhood to 16 boys who needed one. Her motto is: “we are designing a better world one child at a time”.

We strive each and every day to champion the financing needs of organizations working in low-income areas throughout the country, that cannot access loans from mainstream banks. Because we partner on loans with other CDFIs we are able to do so much to impact low-income communities and families who benefit from our borrower organizations with few resources (be they dollars or working computers!).

Posted by Hilary Mughloo on 02/09 at 04:57 PM

From a very young age, my one true ambition was to help people and contribute to the world in a meaningful way. Upon graduating from college, I went straight into working for a non-profit organization. I cannot express the satisfaction that comes from working, not to make money, but to make a difference in the world. After five years of being fortunate enough to work for several different non-profit organizations in both Washington, DC, and Philadelphia, I became ill. My life became an endless string of doctor visits, tests, needles, and scans. Feeling weak, in pain, and unable to do the things I had taken for granted before my illness was devastating. Not being able to work, however, was a loss I cannot express in words. It is true that being without an income is a tremendous burden but, for me, greater than that was not being able to do the work that I loved.

Seven years have passed and doctors are still unsure of the illness that I have, but suspect that it may be Chronic Pancreatitis, an incurable disease of the pancreas that is known for being very difficult to treat. I have, however, become stronger and am determined to get my life back, day by day, one step at a time. I don’t think I will be able to live on my own again and continue to make a difference in the world…I know I will. Technology is making this possible for me by allowing me to work from home, for the time being, and, with a computer, printer, and the internet, not be hampered by my inability to work a “normal” 9 to 5 job. I can write for non-profit organizations that do anything from protecting children to raising cancer awareness to helping teenage mothers and make a difference in the lives of so many from my very own home.

Without technology, I could not make my dreams of making a difference come true. With it, everything is possible.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 07:13 PM

I currently serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA with a non-profit organization called City Year Detroit.
One of City Year’s major events each year is MLK Day of Service- a large scale event that honors Martin Luther King, Jr. where we recruit tons of volunteers to participate in service projects around metro Detroit. This year, we partnered with United Way for Southeastern Michigan and recruited over 1,300 volunteers with the help of our website (http://www.servedetroit.org) to serve at over 22 different service locations around metro Detroit.

While we had tons of service projects and volunteers that day, nothing compares to the experience that I had at one of our locations - a local Detroit high school. At that high school, we had over 200 volunteers. We had only expected 45 in the morning, but with the help of advertising through our website, 55 people showed up. Then in the afternoon over 150 people showed up ready to serve. We started registering people and then a half hour into the registration process, a car hit a utility pole nearby knocking out the power in the entire building. This meant that in the middle of January in Michigan we had no light and no heat for over 250 volunteers. Luckily, we are trained to think quickly on our feet and devised a plan to make sure that our volunteers could still finish the projects. We moved the projects all to areas with natural lighting and continued on with our day. Our volunteers seemed happy to continue the projects and didn’t really mind that we had no power. The only problem that remained is how to get lighting into the bathrooms because in the high school, there was no natural light in these areas. Thus, the bathrooms were pitch black! Scary! Fortunately, there was an answer to the problem: cell phones! We had the volunteers use cell phones in the bathrooms lighting part of the way! It was a crazy idea, but it worked. The project ended up wrapping up a couple hours earlier but all the projects finished successfully and the power eventually came on.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09 at 07:29 PM

My story will begin with a very important number.

The number is 33% or 1 in 3. This is the number that motivates us at SAVE (Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments). It is the incidence of domestic violence for women in the United States. It happens to males, females, heterosexuals, homosexuals, rich people poorer people, the famous, and the not-so-famous. It happens at home and at school. Some call it an epidemic.

SAVE offers an array of prevention, intervention, and support services and technology allows stay up-to-date and to keep our vital services available to the women, men, and children in an abusive relationship. Our most critical services include providing financial literacy and job-readiness workshops, parenting skills, and problem-solving techniques during residents’ 90-day stay at our emergency shelter. The increasing use of technology makes it more difficult for us to help these women with these workshops and an HP bundle would be just what our client’s need to start a new life free of abuse.

Posted by Aura on 02/09 at 07:55 PM

Improving my Local Animal Shelter

I am not sure if it has already helped, but my idea is to use technology to help my local animal shelters.
Many shelters are in serious need of help, especially in these times. Many animals are being given up because of foreclosure, job loss and money problems. Unfortunately the animals in these shelters are the last concern for most people. Citizen involvement is essential if progress is to be made. My local shelter is great, but often overwhelmed with all the surrenders they are getting. I donate as often as possible. but they can always use more help.
I would like to organize a meeting with other interested people by placing ads through Craig’s List and my local newspaper , correspond through email and hopefully meet at some point to set goals. Address the most serious problems first. I would also like to involve the city council, board of county commissioners, or the humane society’s board of directors in our efforts and get suggestions from them.
Part of my efforts would also be to launch a site where interested members can sell their products with a portion of their profits going directly to the shelter for help with the needs of the animals in their care.
Of course, the technology bundle would help greatly with the initial ads, the correspondences and setting up the site for me and others to sell our products, with a direct link to a percentage of each sale going to the Shelter or shelters we choose and of course maintaining the site.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Posted by Nadine L on 02/09 at 11:45 PM