People's Resource Center Gives Away 8,000th Computer

People's Resource Center's (PRC) Computer Training and Access Program distributed its 8,000th refurbished computer as of yesterday, Monday, Oct. 4. The PRC, an authorized Microsoft Registered Refurbisher (MRR), takes donated computers, reloads the hard drive with Windows-based software and gives them to clients who take PRC's basic computer training class.

PRC operates 210 classes per year—35 classes per session, six sessions per year in 14 locations throughout DuPage County. Dennis McCann, the computer training program director said that PRC has between 1500 and 1800 enrolled clients per year.

Dennis McCann, director of the computer training program, was a network data engineer for 25 years, and said PRC tries to find volunteers with an engineering background to teach the classes. "There are a lot of engineering resources in this area," he said. "They're eager to share their technical knowledge with our clients."

Though basic adult education is a challenge that faces teachers, McCann said. "When we go to train a teacher, the interesting thing we tell them is, 'start out as a co-instructor and learn the clients.'"

Immigrants form about 40 percent of PRC's clientele, McCann said, which presents a separate challenge for students and teachers. Some of the clients have had a high level of skills in their own language but have to relearn all of the applications in English, he said.

 "We had a German woman in here who said, 'I know all of this, but I know it all in german,'" he recalled. Though she had to start over again, McCann said she digested the material and picked it up very quickly.

"What we teach is technically rudimentary. We're not teaching anything they do over at College of DuPage. We're teaching the foundations for that sort of knowledge."

A former PRC director, Frank Goetz started the computer training program in 1995. John Victor, director of PRC's computer access and information technology said that Goetz worked to become an authorized Mirosoft Registered Refurbisher in 2002.

Once clients receive training and their computers, they can take the computers to PRC for repairs. Jim Gill, a PRC volunteer in the refurbishing office said, "We tend to give out about 80 (computers per month) and fix about 160 a month.

"We provide a lifetime guarantee," Gill added, "so anyone that has a PC from us, they can bring it in and we repair it."

Victor said, "we know they're using them because right now we're repairing twice as many as we're giving out."

Students receive their free computers after two or three classes, he said. "Having a computer at home would help them do a better job in class," he said. "They can practice at home."

McCann said that students take computer training classes in order to become eligible for a job or to advance in their job, to become a part of the digital age and to help their children with their homework.

He added, "That last one—to get that computer in the household so children can do their homework at home with parental oversight is a powerful motivator for people to attend the classs."