http://wiki.freegeek.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Talk%3AFree_Geek_Timeline 2026-04-22T05:56:23Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.35.1 http://wiki.freegeek.org/index.php?title=Talk:Free_Geek_Timeline&diff=34929&oldid=prev 2008-09-26T22:55:31Z

<p>New page: First stab at a narrative from a quick and dirty email to someone who wants to know more about how things got started (for a book he&#039;s writing): ---- I&#039;ll answer any question. Shoot me a ...</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>First stab at a narrative from a quick and dirty email to someone who wants to know more about how things got started (for a book he&#039;s writing):<br /> <br /> ----<br /> I&#039;ll answer any question. Shoot me a few and I&#039;ll get right back to you.<br /> <br /> In the meantime to get you started here&#039;s a brief synopsis (without me knowing what you really want):<br /> <br /> Free Geek started in 2000. The founder&#039;s name was Oso Martin, and he is still on our board.<br /> <br /> We opened our doors on September 1 of that year and invited in volunteers. The first few months were spent scratching our heads and figuring out how we would run things (both technically and as an organization). <br /> <br /> In January of 2001 an article appeared in the Oregonian newspaper talking about us and advertising &quot;Free Computers&quot;. The very next day we were up to our ears in volunteers and scrappy old computers.<br /> <br /> In 2001 we squeaked by on a tiny budget, some money from an individual benefactor, and a grant from the DEQ. We established a core staff collective of three people. In February of that year we launched our first adoption class and began disbursing computers to volunteers in a systematic way. Later that year, we began installing computers in cafes around SE Portland to provide free internet access. We also established a thrift store to help get more technology into reuse while creating an income stream to help with the rent.<br /> <br /> In 2002 we began getting larger donations from businesses that were upgrading their infrastructure. We established tech support and quality control processes, revamped the software that made the computers useful, re-thought and extended our classes. <br /> <br /> Major problems in the first three years included not enough money, so many volunteers we needed to create a waiting list to get into the program, and a sense that we were beginning to drown in the ewaste we were collecting.<br /> <br /> Over the last eight years, we&#039;ve grown into an organization with a budget approaching 3/4 million dollars, a staff of 25-30 people (depending on the month and how you want to count), and a pool of approximately 700 active volunteers.<br /> <br /> [[User:Rfs|RfS]] 22:55, 26 September 2008 (UTC)<br /> ----</div>

Rfs