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January-March 2007

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Fox Valley PC Association
Illinois,
an Association of Users Helping Users
Wins 2006 Jerry Award
Region 6

At the time of the FVPCA’s executive board meeting, the APCUG conference was underway in Las Vegas and they hadn’t heard anything about the outcome of the project they had submitted for the Jerry Awards competition. Surprise! In the category, “How the Community Service Project is Managed: this category requires user groups to provide documentation on how it runs the program,” the Fox Valley PC Association and North Texas PCUG tied for first place! Both groups earned a $1,500 award. How about that! The executive board thanks all of the Fox Valley PC Association members who volunteered over the summer to make the project successful. Here is an overview of their project.

Prize Use:

If the Fox Valley PC Association is a fortunate recipient of a Jerry Award, we would like to apply it as a gift for OLGC School towards the purchase of new LCD monitors to replace some of the very old CRT monitors presently in use in the PC Lab

Project Description:

Project conceptualized during discussion in June 2006 between the OLGC PC Lab Instructor and FVPCA President. An opinion was sought as to what type of PC should replace the 28 aging machines used in the school’s PC Lab. The use of volunteers to help install the computers and implement the project was suggested as the only realistic economical way to have the Lab up and running by the start of school by August 2006.

Members of the FVPCA were invited to participate at the next general meeting on June 17, 2006. The entire membership was subsequently invited via e-mail to participate. Eventually eleven FVPCA members plus the lab instructor and her husband volunteered.

25 refurbished Compaq EVO SFF PCs were delivered to the school on July 6, 2006. A meeting was held between the School and the FVPCA to clarify the project goals and determine timeframes.

The project presented itself in three phases:

Phase I: Prepare 8 machines for teacher training on 8 Lab machines. Train FVPCA helpers and install images, performing necessary tasks to individualize machines on network. Additionally, remove old equipment and replace with refurbished equipment. (Completed on July 22nd)

Phase II: Prepare 28 PCs for the beginning of school, install enhanced images and perform necessary tasks to individualize machines on network. (Completed on August 12th)

Phase III: Perform specialized tasks, install “new” 3Com switches in wire closet, relocate proxy server, “tweak” lab PCs and complete any tasks in final preparation for school. (Completed on August 19th)

The following congratulatory e-mail was received from Heather Burns Knierim, the Vice President of Programs for the National Cristina Foundation:

On behalf of the National Cristina Foundation, we would like to congratulate you on receiving the 2006 Jerry award from APCUG. Your hard work and commitment to your program and community is commendable. Our president, Yvette Marin, was one of the judges and is closely involved with APCUG.

I would also like to take this opportunity to invite you to apply to the National Cristina Foundation to become part of our partner network and become eligible to receive donations of used technology. The National Cristina Foundation provides donations of computer technology and solutions to organizations and schools committed to providing people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged persons the opportunity, through training, to lead more independent and productive lives.

The National Cristina Foundation is working to ensure that used computer technology resources that no longer meet an enterprise’s or individual’s needs are given a second productive life as a tool for developing human potential.

You can learn more at http://www.cristina.org and access our grant application directly at: http://cristina.org/learning_partner.html?live=partner

Again, congratulations on your accomplishments!

Sinerely,
Heather Burns Knierim, NSW
V. P. of Programs
National Cristina Foundation
500 West Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830