Portland, OR. The nonprofit that takes donated computers, removes all personal information, and gives them to needy people is working in overdrive. Free Geek helped to deliver computers to students at William Walker Elementary School as seen above. The nonprofit delivered 40 devices to families of students in need, but there are still many more people in the Portland area who need to get online.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Free Geek saw a 4,000% increase in the number of requests for computers for low-income people.
The number of requests continues to grow according to Free Geek marketing specialist, Charlie D’eve. She explains how getting online is vital for people. “It’s families of five who received only one computer from the school their children attend when e-schooling began. Its people asking for computers for their parents whom they haven’t been able to contact since the beginning of the pandemic. It’s parents who lost their jobs during the pandemic, looking to find work online. It’s college students who relied on the library for their homework. It’s therapists who have clients with no access to them. It’s social workers. It’s houseless youth. It’s cousins, neighbors, friends.”
In January, Free Geek staff members fill their van with laptops and desktops to deliver a hardware grant to families living at The Louisa Flowers, Multnomah County’s largest low-income apartment building.
For the past two decades, Free Geek has offered a way to divert technology that would otherwise be recycled or thrown away, refurbish it, and give it back to the community at no or low cost.
Since COVID-19 began the organization has been able to partner with programs including SNAP, Every Child Oregon, Project LEDO, Black Resilience Fund, Portland State University, and many more community change organizations according to D’eve.
In their partnership with SNAP, Free Geek has provided 121 devices and is working to provide 300 more. “Our Gift a Geekbox program has been seeing around 20 applications a day since we put the program up on our site. Our highest amount of applications in one day was 240. We haven’t even advertised the program yet,” says D’eve.
Other programs available through Free Geek include:
Plug Into Portland (computers for K-12 students)
Hardware Grants (free and low-cost technology grants)
Online Shop (low-cost tech through an online store)
Corporate Technology Donation (bring corporate used tech back into the community)
Personal Tech Donation (bring your personal tech back to those who need it)
Data Security (data destruction certification for your tech)
There are a number of challenges Free Geek has faced throughout the pandemic, although one challenge has hit the organization the hardest. According to D’eve there is a great need for laptops to provide for students going through e-schooling, and telehealth services for the elderly.
Vaccines are now available in Oregon, with the elderly (age 65 and older) prioritized receiving the vaccine first throughout February. This does not come without challenges, however, as many people are having trouble navigating an online platform and finding ways to get to their appointments. In response to this, Free Geek is relying on potential partnerships with businesses to ensure they can get devices to those who can sign up for the vaccine but don’t have digital access.
Currently, there are no volunteer opportunities with Free Geek. However, there are many other ways to get involved, according to D’eve, including:
Give a gift to Free Geek at give.freegeek.org
Donate your used technology
Ask your employer about where your used tech goes, and start a conversation about providing that tech to Free Geek
Start a fundraiser for us
Start a tech drive for us
Talk with your friends about Free Geek – shout us out on social media!
Know a community change organization or person that needs a computer? Help them get one from us
“I think what people are starting to notice is that even though they have a device, their next-door neighbor likely doesn’t. And now we’re seeing people notice, and people wanting to make sure that changes,” says D’eve.
Staff members deliver laptops to Title I elementary schools by partnering with project LEDO.
From the Free Geek website: Free Geek’s mission is to sustainably reuse technology, enable digital access, and provide education to create a community that empowers people to realize their potential. Including everyone in our digital future.
27% of Americans do not own a computer. And one out of ten families do not have internet at home. This lack of access is sharply stratified along lines of income, race, age, and education. Low-income families, immigrants, seniors, and children are digitally under-connected, many with mobile-only internet access, which often isn’t enough.
The crisis is growing. Our world is growing more digital every day, and vulnerable populations are being left behind. The digital divide separates individuals along economic lines – from the cost of technology and devices, to which neighborhoods have better broadband access. Day-to-day tasks middle- and upper-class individuals take for granted become massive challenges to communities where basic technology and skills feel alien and inaccessible, due to language or financial barriers. From applying for jobs to completing homework assignments, from paying bills to accessing medical records to communicating with family, people with the means to access technology are at a decided advantage over those who are not. This is a social justice issue. Without technology access, full participation in nearly every aspect of American society — from economic success and educational achievement, to positive health outcomes and civic engagement — is compromised
Now think about this: the EPA estimates that only 27% of e-waste is recycled nationally. E-waste represents 2% of America’s trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste.
A large number of what is labeled as “e-waste” is actually not waste at all, but rather whole electronic equipment or parts that are readily marketable for reuse or can be recycled for materials recovery. So what if we repaired and reused these devices, in order to keep our community connected while keeping e-waste out of landfills?
Our programs are founded on this very idea. Free Geek has created a unique circular model which points two existing societal problems – excess electronic waste in need of sustainable reuse and recycling, and lack of access to basic technology among vulnerable populations – back at each other to reveal innovative solutions. The computers we grant to our Digital Inclusion participants are saved from ending up in landfills, and instead, go on to find a new life helping provide our community’s most vulnerable populations with the digital literacy skills they need to succeed and thrive.
Want to join the movement helping both our environment and our community? Join us and make an impact. For just $10 a month, you can provide one person a device, tech support, and digital skill training. Join our monthly giving community THE BRIDGE, and give the gift of clean water all year round.
Portland, OR. Music, dance, artistic freedom, censorship, and a 1920’s lesbian love story, collide with the looming threat of the Holocaust in an award-winning play now being staged by Artists Repertory Theatre. Indecent by Paula Vogel, is part of Artists Repertory Theatre on Tour (ART) season, which is taking place as the company’s theater is undergoing renovation. The play features Michael Mendelson (picture above) and is being produced with Profile Theatre; the production takes place at Portland State University. Indecent is described as a backstage drama filled with music and the history of Jewish theatre. (Photo credit, Kathleen Kelly)
Miriam Schwartz and Jamie M Rea
“Our need to tell our own stories is one of the most ancient needs we have,” says Artistic Director of Profile Theatre and director of the play, Josh Hecht. “It’s not just the telling that is important. It’s the witnessing. It’s the confirmation that comes from speaking our truths and having someone else say, “Yes, that’s me, too. Yes, I recognize that. We may be different, but in this way we are the same.”
“This original production of Vogel’s acclaimed, moving, and ultimately joyous play is a collaboration between Profile Theatre, Artists Repertory Theatre (ART), and Portland State University (PSU),” says Dámaso Rodríguez, Artistic Director of Artists Repertory Theatre. “This ambitiousness and scale of this project, which affords opportunities for PSU students to interact with and learn from some of our city’s most accomplished theatre artists, might have been out of reach for all of our companies had we not combined our resources to make it possible.”
Here’s a video about the production:
Indecent runs through March 8th, at Lincoln Hall, Portland State University, 1620 SW Park Ave. ART descriptions include the following: A boldly touching portrayal of the original theatrical company that presented Sholem Asch’s The God of Vengeance. The creator, Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Paula Vogel based scenes off of Asch’s play portraying the risk-taking group that brought the script to the stage.
Tickets are $60 regular price; $30 preview/student/under 35; $15 PSU student with ID. Special Discounts include Sliding Scale Sunday (tickets start at $10): applies to Sunday evening performances, 20for20: 20 tickets available at every performance for $20, Artists Rep participates in Arts for All and the Multnomah County Library’s Discovery Pass Program. Tickets at 503.241.1278 or www.artistsrep.org
Here’s a video about Artist Repertory Theatre:
More about Artists Repertory Theatre:
ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE’S mission is to produce intimate, provocative theatre and provide a home for a diverse community artists and audiences to take creative risks. Artists Rep gratefully acknowledges our theatre rests on the traditional lands of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River. Artists Rep is Portland’s premiere mid-size regional theatre company and is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and Managing Director J.S. May. Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theatre company in Portland. ART became the 72nd member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) in 2016 and is an Associate Member of the National New Play Network (NNPN). Artists Rep’s 2019/20 season can be found here.
Artists Rep has become a significant presence in American regional theatre with a legacy of world, national, and regional premieres of provocative new work with the highest standards of stagecraft. The organization is committed to local artists and features a company of Resident Artists and professionals of varied theatre disciplines, who are a driving force behind Artists Rep’s creative output and identity.
Portland, OR. Nearly 500 guests joined Portland State University for Wine and Roses 2019 – an annual fundraising gala in support of Vikings Athletics. Thanks to the generosity of guests and sponsors, the April 27th benefit generated more than $500,000, the majority of which will be used for student-athlete scholarships. Led by mascot Victor E. Viking, Vikings student-athletes kicked off the high-energy night in good spirits. (Photo credit, Megan Connelly)
PSU alum and former NFL quarterback Neil Lomax, ’81, unveils championship banners on stage at Wine and Roses 2019.
Viking Hall of Famer Neil Lomax, ’81, welcomed the audience and unveiled the new PSU championship banners which will be permanently installed in the rafters of the Viking Pavilion at the Peter W. Stott Center. Among them are nine retired jerseys, nine conference championship titles and two national championship titles.
“With these banners, we’re able to honor the people and teams who have helped build this amazing program in a new way,” said Neil Lomax. “This is our legacy, and we’re proud of it.”
Nearly 500 guests raised more than $500,000 in support of Vikings Athletics.
More than 200 student-athletes volunteered at the event, welcoming guests to the Viking Pavilion at the Peter W. Stott Center and sharing their stories of opportunity. Student-athlete Donte Robinson shared his story of achievement as a three-time Big Sky Conference Champion for PSU Men’s Track and Field. Freshman Desirae Hansen, whose game-winning shot delivered the Vikings’ first Big Sky tournament title since 2010, also shared her powerful PSU story.
PSU Athletics Director Valerie Cleary shows the audience what it means to be a Viking.
“Our student-athletes shine in all they do — in the classroom, in their sport, and in the community,” said Athletics Director Valerie Cleary. “Scholarships are critical to their success. Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday to support these phenomenal young men and women.”
From PSU:
The night’s success comes thanks to presenting sponsor Jeff Eulberg of Evergreen Gavekal. Eulberg is a Viking Football alum and PSU Foundation Board Member whose leadership as a sponsor has helped to advance the university’s athletics program over the past six years. “My experiences as a student-athlete laid the groundwork for the success that I’ve found in recent years,” said Jeff Eulberg. “I’m proud to pay that forward by supporting a program that makes such an impact in the lives of student-athletes and in our city.” Additional thanks to event sponsors Peter and Julie Stott, Burns Brothers, Stewart Sokol & Larkin, Key Event Services, Les Schwab, Steve and Dolores Petruzelli and the many others who came together in support of Portland State Athletics.
Portland, October 22nd, 2013. CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper regaled supporters with stories about his adventures covering world news. PSU President Wim Wiewel also honored entrepreneur Bill Stoller as an outstanding alumnus. Portland State University President Wim Wiewel thanked a record 1,800 guests at the university’s 14th annual Simon Benson Awards Dinner. (photo credit, Phototainment)
Erika Miller and alumnus Rick Miller received PSU’s philanthropy award.
Bill Stoller MBA ’79 received the Simon Benson Award for Alumni Achievement. Rick MBA ’91 and Erika Miller received the Simon Benson Award for Philanthropy. The Convention Center dinner raised a record $1.2 million for student scholarships and other initiatives.
From Portland State:
Portland State University is Oregon’s largest and most diverse public university located in the heart of one of America’s most progressive cities.
It offers more than 60 undergraduate and 40 graduate programs in fine and performing arts, liberal arts and sciences, business administration, education, urban and public affairs, social work, engineering and computer science. PSU offers more than 226 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
The 50-acre downtown campus—with the motto “Let Knowledge Serve the City”—places students in a vibrant center of culture, business and technology. This allows students to participate in internships and community-based projects in these fields as well as education, social services, and government.
Portland State’s award-winning University Studies curriculum provides small class sizes and peer mentoring for all first-year students and culminates in Senior Capstones, which take students out of the classroom and into the field, where they utilize their knowledge and skills to develop community projects.
The University has taken aggressive steps to enhance the student experience and campus life, with new student housing and a comprehensive recreation complex and remodeled science and performing arts facilities. Portland State also has bolstered academic and career advising and orientation programs and created new programs to support students. Sustainability—initiatives that balance environmental, economic and social concerns—is incorporated throughout the curriculum and across the campus.
Students at the rally get ready to serve and honor the life and legacy of Dr. King!
Oregon Campus Compact Associate Director, Tina Shantz, at the mic giving directions and getting students excited to serve.
Students pose for a picture after leaving the rally and heading to their service sites.
College students begin sorting through gently used children’s books. Throughout the day, 700 students organized, cleaned, and helped distribute 40,000 books to low-income homes, libraries, and schools in Portland.
Children’s books being sent into the Portland community.
The service projects prompted volunteers to reflect on the value of education and how poverty impacts learning.
“It’s really exciting to bring together a large group of college students to respond to the community’s needs,” said Concordia University’s Assistant Director of Service Leadership, Amy Dickerson. “MLK Day is impactful because it inspires students to serve not only one day but also to continue their service to the community throughout the year. By uniting colleges and universities to serve together, students become a part of something bigger than each of their individual campuses.”
College students in Oregon are experienced with serving their community. Oregon ranks eighth in the country for college student volunteerism according to the Corporation for National & Community Service report, Volunteering and Civic Life in America. Oregon’s students are challenging those who believe they are disengaged and apathetic by showing up (in record numbers) to serve and prove through action that they are making a difference in their community.
Other popular MLK events included:
• “Keep Alive the Dream,” a celebration for all ages produced by the World Arts Foundation, Inc., this event featured speakers and performers from various civic and social community organizations.
• The Annual MLK Remembrance and Work Day for the Northeast Portland Backpack Lunch Program, which provides lunches for children at Woodlawn, King and Harvey Scott schools.
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