Mission

Information literacy has become a criterion for advancement in our society. Those with access to information and with the knowledge to work with it are empowered in a number of ways. Those without such access and knowledge lack power as workers, students, and citizens. Meanwhile, good computers and related equipment are often "surplused" or even discarded by firms and educational institutions. Private individuals often discard or store older systems that could be used by others.

Sometimes schools receive donations of badly outdated, dirty, or nonworking equipment, much of which could but is never put to good use. I.T. staff and teachers often lack the time or resources to get the donations in working order. Project Reboot steps in at this point, working as an intermediary between donors and recipients. The volunteers with Project Reboot clean, refurbish, and repair donations for local schools, nonprofit organizations, and families.

This program is by necessity quite small. Storage space and time constraints limit us to working on a few machines each month, but we hope to provide the best quality refurbished machines possible. In a small way, one refurbished computer at a time, we want to help in closing the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not.

You can find out more about Project Reboot through "By Our Bootstraps: Access and Recycled Computers," a presentation given by Joe Essid at the 2002 Computers & Writing Conference.

Who we are:
Ron Brand, Community Volunteer: training for recipients
Joe Essid, University of Richmond EnglishDept.: Mac Refurbishing
Gregg Hillmar, Univerity of Richmond Dept. of Theater and Dance, Mac Refurbishing
Sakeb Nazim, Student Volunteer, Bonner Scholar Program, University of Richmond
Barry Riddle, Alcoa Aluminum: Mac Refurbishing