2012 September Newsletter

Empowerment Through Volunteering

Editor’s note: We are honored to present this testimonial from Greg Traylor, an active Free Geek volunteer. Thank you Greg for sharing your story with us!

I’ve considered writing a self-help book for people who want to be miserable based on my own life experiences. Among chapters such as “Don’t Nurture Your Creativity,” “Stay In A Job You Loathe Because It Pays Well,” “Be Who You Think Other People Will Like,” and “Stay In Relationship Because It Is Comfortable” would be the chapter entitled “Don’t Volunteer.” Cells throughout the body are programmed to get sick and die when they are no longer relevant (among other reasons) and around 60% of your neurons in your language centers will commit ‘suicide’ when they are no longer needed. Nature tends to be recursive, mimicking itself on levels from small to large. We are all cells in the super-organism of society and are given the role of furthering that society and each other. We all must find our own ways of becoming relevant to life lest our happiness and health atrophy. I’ve found that volunteering does that for me and that Free Geek is the kind of place I want to volunteer.

I learned about Free Geek a few years ago and made a mental note that I should volunteer there. It wasn’t until my life had imploded that I actually acted upon this idea. I was living on the streets of Old Town and trying to find my way out of the seemingly endless concrete maze that is homelessness. Help came but not how I would have expected. Technology and those connected to it became my saviors and that combination succeeded where organizations failed. I unexpectedly stumbled into friendships and support. The subject of Free Geek came up when talking with one of my new friends, Dan, and we soon attended the orientation together.

Taking the orientation made me realize that I really wanted to be a part of this group. The combination of open source philosophy, geek culture, recycling, volunteerism and technology really appealed to me. Inspired by this visit, I applied for a Hardware Grant. This was so much simpler than I could have expected. I just filled out an online form with the appropriate information and was accepted. Free Geek has donated over 4,900 computers to schools, non-profits, religious organizations and more. Every computer comes as a complete unit with monitor, keyboard, mouse and power cables. All are thoroughly tested and loaded with Ubuntu.

The idea that got me this grant (and one other) was relatively simple, provide computers, connections and training to those in transitional housing and shelters. This would be cost-free to the organizations but the ‘clients’ would pay by volunteering elsewhere, seeding other non-profits and community projects. I believe technology can help others as it helped me. I believe that in bridging the digital divide at the lowest levels we allow people to pull themselves up with information.

Volunteering there has become one of the favorite parts of my week. You would pay for college classes to get the practical hands-on experience you get in your volunteering at Free Geek. The combination of volunteer and tech activities looks really good on a resume *cough* Hire me Free Geek! *cough*. There are classes you can take to further your computer-related knowledge. You are helping to remove toxic and non-biodegradable wastes from the landfill. Deserving entities will reap the benefits of your work which will allow them to help others. You receive a computer and tech support for volunteering. There is a library and public terminals. The staff and volunteers are wonderful people. They have free coffee and don’t mind if you drink enough to start shaking, in fact, it seems to amuse them.

I plan on being a fixture at Free Geek for quite a while. I recently applied for a teaching internship so that I can further help where I can be of some use. I honestly believe it is a great organization. Remember that when you support Free Geek, you support the groups they support, groups that may be giving you support one day. Never underestimate the power that the marriage of good people and technology has. Give of yourself and get a better you back. Give of yourself and become relevant.

Recycling at Free Geek: A Peek Downstream

If you have ever volunteered in the Recycling department, you have probably seen our warehouse staff load pallets of materials (plastics, laptops, copper-bearing material, wires and cables, etc.) onto trucks, and watched them drive away into the distance. Have you ever found yourself wondering where those trucks were going?

Free Geek works with a variety of vendors who transfer our recyclable materials to their facilities, where further processing is done to recycle or repurpose them. In the interest of sustaining the local economy, and reducing fossil fuel emissions and pollution, we strive to select vendors who do business in the Portland Metro area. We also require vendors to keep materials in the US or North America, and comply with all applicable laws, thereby ensuring the application of strict environmental standards.

Additionally, in accordance with the standards of the Basel Action Network, our vendors avoid sending materials to solid waste landfills or incinerators, do not use prison labor in their recycling processes, do not export hazardous waste to non-EU or non-OECD countries, demonstrate an effective Environmental Health and Safety management system, and keep Free Geek informed of any changes in their processes or downstream disposal.

Occasionally we are offered the opportunity to visit our vendors’ facilities and observe their operations. One such occasion occurred on a bright Thursday morning this summer. The lights did not get turned on in the Free Geek warehouse. While the recycling table and bench stood silent, our warehouse crew was off on a field trip, to Metro Metals in Vancouver, WA. This is what they had to say about their adventure:

“Free Geek sends ferrous and non-ferrous material, wire, and other copper bearing material to Metro Metals. It was quite impressive to see shredders as big as a house, their incoming pile of everything from cars and refrigerators, to old strollers, and the final product of steel, copper wire, and aluminum. We also got to see their waste water management system, which filters rainwater and other water run-off before it discharges into the river. Metro Metals was one of the first companies in the Portland Metro (including Vancouver) area to include such a filtration system.

Our Recycling Interns were particularly impressed to see the operations at Metro Metals. We are hoping to do more site visits like this in the future, to educate both ourselves and our volunteers about what happens to our recyclable materials once we have finished processing them.”

Hardware Grants Serve our Robot Overlords

In addition to keeping school computer labs and classrooms running with quality refurbished Ubuntu-based computers, the Free Geek Hardware Grants program provides systems to various after-school and school-related programs. Recently, we were happy to provide much-needed materials to FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1432, the original Portland-based FIRST Robotics Competition robotics team (http://team1432.org/). Team 1432, also known as Mahr's Metal Beavers, was founded by Franklin High School teacher Peter Mahr with five of his advanced metals students. While at Franklin High School for the subsequent seven years, they helped keep several at-risk students interested and involved in school, helping one student attain a full-ride scholarship for an engineering degree at Portland State University.

As one might expect, running a successful robotics club can be an expensive proposition. Fortunately, Team 1432 has garnered much support from various businesses that have an invested interest in employing local highly skilled problem-solvers. Even with this support, the members of Team 1432 wisely look to the Free Geek Hardware Grants program to satisfy their needs for computer equipment to help them create, pilot, and share the successes of their competition-grade robots.

According to their recently completed Hardware Grants request: "The computer parts on this list will help us finish a computer capable of running Autodesk software and we can have another one enabling three students at a time to learn Autodesk Inventor and PTC, a C.A.D. modeling program. This will aid us in building our robot and teaching students highly desirable job skills. The items on this list will also help us with our robot presentations during the year and for years to come. The projector will show a slide show about our program and what we have done at schools, and during community outreach activities. The laptop will allow us to control our robot during the events we go to throughout the year. (Events like the Marion County Fair, Multnomah County Fair, school visitations and other neighboring community events.)"

Team 1432 patiently waited for two months as we worked to source and provide them with: four desktops with dual core processors, two laptops, a projector, two touchscreen monitors, two headsets and various other miscellaneous components. With our assistance, these youth are able to explore new possibilities in robotics and continue to participate in robotics competitions. Of course, it doesn't hurt when they give us wonderful feedback that reminds us why we keep on providing a valuable service to our community: "We appreciate all of the support that Free Geek has given us in the past and have always proudly displayed your logo on our robot and mentioned you on our website. Your support has made it possible for us to participate in the FIRST robotics program and that is changing our lives. We can't begin to tell you thanks enough. Many thanks for [all] that you have done, made possible and continue to do."

Volunteer Spotlight: Summer 2012 Volunteer BBQ

Free Geek shows the summer love to our awesome volunteers!

If your primary contact with Free Geek has consisted of dropping off donations, or purchasing something from our Thrift Store, you may not realize that our operations are largely powered by volunteers who come here to learn workplace-readiness or computer-based skills, socialize with wonderful people and otherwise give back to their community. We could not continue to offer free computers, printers and other electronics to non-profits, schools and community change organizations without our amazing volunteers. In recognition of their tireless efforts, on Saturday, July 21st, we hosted our annual Volunteer Appreciation Barbeque, in the Free Geek parking lot.

The party was a great success! Volunteers brought their friends, parents, kids, and siblings, bringing attendance to roughly 250. We played games of cornhole, chess and hackeysack, listened to hot summer jams on the stereo, and ate ourselves into a coma; hot dogs, vegetarian/beef burgers, cole slaw, potato salad, beer and lemonade were all enjoyed in abundance. One volunteer even brought home-baked brownies (although we were hoping for more participants in the brownie-baking contest, the single batch that came in was delicious enough to compensate)!

As the food supply dwindled away, we raffled off some awesome prizes. Volunteers took home a snazzy desktop system with hi-def 22-inch monitor, keyboard, speakers and mouse, as well as a high end Toshiba laptop, three DVD players, and a reverb amplifier. Gift packages and certificates from a variety of local businesses were also distributed.

Misty Fall, one of the organizers of the event, remarked that “usually volunteers and staff are in smaller quadrants within the building working on separate but connected tasks. The BBQ was a wonderful opportunity to see everyone outside on a sunny day eating, drinking, playing, and talking to each other. It was so satisfying to plan and experience this great opportunity to express our appreciation of all the hard work and awesome attitudes our volunteers bring to the multi-tasking, fast-paced world of Free Geek.”

Big ups go to Misty and the rest of the BBQ planning team for putting on this great event without a hitch! We also could not have pulled off this wonderfully fun day without significant support from partner businesses in our community. Special thanks go to our sponsors: Cellar Door Coffee, New Seasons Market, City Bikes, Dave’s Killer Bread, Ninkasi Brewing, Pacific Pie Company, Hotlips Pizza, Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, and Jolly Roger Restaurant.

Staff Spotlight: Eli Wisnievitz

If you’ve visited the Front Desk recently, you’ve probably run into Eli, who recently joined our staff in the role of Front Desk and Receiving Support. We thought the Free Geek community might like to get to know Eli a bit, so we sat down to ask him a few questions.

• How long have you been with Free Geek, and what were you doing before you joined the staff here?

- I have been working at Free Geek for just over 2 months, and it has been fantastic. Before Free Geek, I worked at The Walking Company which is a comfort and arch support footwear store. Previous to that, I was an office assistant to the Food Service Director at Mount Hood Community College. I’ve also been known to teach Tennis during the summer, but it’s been a few years since I did that!

• What do you enjoy most about working at the Front Desk?

- The front desk is a great place to meet and interact with the volunteers and donors. These people are the most important individuals that contribute to Free Geek, either through their hard work in our volunteer areas or by donating their used technology to us. It also is a very positive place to work because many people are thrilled to be able to contribute to our mission. These donors in particular get peace of mind knowing that we ensure chain of custody over the items we recycle, and that once we receive their used technology we will do everything we can to reduce the waste it will create.

• What was your first impression about Free Geek, and what has surprised you about working here?

- I was awed by Free Geek when I started here. From the social perspective, it was clear that Free Geek volunteers truly loved spending their valuable time with us. From a sustainability standpoint, seeing how much effort is put into reuse was very encouraging and exciting. The warehouse is a fantastic place to be directly involved in ethically recycling electronics and keeping harmful chemicals out of the earth.

- I’ve been surprised to discover how many educational opportunities we offer. In each volunteer area I have learned a great deal about various hardware and the relevant components that make them work. On the scholastic side, I am still blown away by quantity and range of classes that we offer to the public for no charge. To me life is a never ending journey of learning, and it is clear that Free Geek aims to be an educational facility for people of all ages and paths.

• What do you wish the average visitor knew about what goes on in the warehouse and production areas behind the Front Desk at Free Geek?

- I think that visitors would become even more amazed with Free Geek if they really understood how important and helpful the volunteer workforce is here. We are truly indebted to the volunteers who have been around for years, have spread the word and have tirelessly given back to the community at large and to Free Geek itself. The literal tons of material we are able to recycle ethically each month are broken down by volunteers. The systems we are able to donate out to individuals and nonprofits are all built by folks who have taken the time to learn from us and volunteer in our build program.

• What is one thing that our readers might be surprised to learn about you?

- I go by Eli (pronounced L-E), but my real name is Elishaya Wisnievitz (First day of class nightmare!) I was supposed to be named after my great grandfather, named Shaya. At the last second my 10-year-old sister insisted that they modify Shaya because it would be too strange. So it is Maya, my dear sister that I can thank for having a fairly simple nick name. I am also the first person in my direct family to be born in the United States and go to a university. While I wasn’t sure how I would fare with a degree in Philosophy and Religion, I knew that the ideas and discussions I had at Boston University would always impact how I viewed the world in a positive manner. My family is from Mexico and I enjoy practicing my Spanish with volunteers and some staff members here!