By the seventh grade in New York City's better private schools, every child is computer-literate. By the seventh grade in the disadvantaged parts of the city, few children have ever seen a computer. We want to even this "playing field". For the teenage student, the time has passed: from 2000 on, all SAT testing must be taken on computer.
Education and learning are the most important means for giving every child a chance to participate in the future of our country and to realize his potential. Computers have proven themselves an effective method for teaching and for reaching the learning disabled and the disadvantaged.
COMPUTERS FOR LEARNING, INC. ("CJL") is a privately-funded New York State non-for-profit corporation founded in February, 1996 and approved by the New York State Department of Education. It does not seek a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, but prefers to act as a pass-through to other tax-exempt organizations. CfL’s financial needs are met by its founder- and all equipment is given at no charge to the recipients.
MISSION: CfL is conduit between for-profit corporations and needy non-profit tax-exempt organizations and individuals. It gathers used-but-serviceable computer equipment from major corporate donors, and recycles the equipment into schools (public, private, and parochial), church-affiliated after-school and literacy programs, other literacy programs, job training programs, settlement houses, residency programs, prisons, and selected individuals in need. Gifted and/or needy students are eligible. CfL’s task is to put computers into the hands of those who need them most, to create job skills, and to promote general computer literacy within the disadvantaged community.
OUR PROGRAM CYCLE: We take equipment from the donor's offices and bring it to the CfL "lab", storage and refurbishing space at 345 Park Avenue (donated by Rudin Management). All computers are "stripped" clean data, physically cleaned, reprogrammed (legally), and stored until taken by recipients. The "lab" work is done by a full-time professional employee; pick-up work is done by part-time employees. Inoperable equipment is salvaged and/or donated to the Board of Education’s Cooperative Technical Vocational High School that rebuilds computers for other Manhattan schools. No equipment is ever wasted.
RESULTS TO DATE: As of June 2000, CfL has distributed over 5,500 computers and nearly 200 printers to over 110 organizations and 100 individuals.
DONORS: CfL's initial donor was Chemical Bank (now Chase Bank). Present donors include Morgan Stanley, KPMG Peat Marwick, Bristol-Myers, Ogilvy & Mather, Ogilvy Worldwide, Debevoise & Plimpton, LeBoeuf Lamb, Morgan & Finnegan, the Blackstone Group, Barnard College, and International Institute for Education. CfL is also IBM's designated conduit to non-profits and community-based organizations in the metropolitan area.
CfL will manage a corporate donor's computer disposals and manage requested giving. CfL has a constant flow of product from other donors and can honor corporate bequests even if that corporation does not have computers to donate at a particular time.
EQUIPMENT: We welcome all usable equipment- 486’s and later computers, printers, modems, power cords, cables, monitors, keyboards, mice, scanners, and software.
RECIPIENT ORGANIZATIONS: Allocation of equipment to a recipient organization depends on its needs, its readiness to receive and install the computers, and its staff's computer knowledge. Equipment is to be used- not to gather dust. Each recipient signs a Site Agreement- if the equipment is not used as represented, it will be taken back. Pick-up at our "lab" is daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on weekends by appointment.
APPLICANTS: Please call Terry Grace or John Squire. We require a letter on official organization letterhead describing the organization and its purpose, the number of computers needed and their proposed use. An IRS tax-exemption letter must be included.
Corporate and non-profit references are available on request.
RECIPIENTS INCLUDE:
Abraham House, Ackerman Institute, Alpha House (Bridgeport, CT), Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Associated Camps, Binding Together, Boys' Harbor, Chapin School, Carl Icahn Foundation, Columbia University School of Public Health, Comprehensive Development (Bd.of Ed. ), Corporation for Youth Energy, Corpus Christie School (Morningside, Hgts.), Create, Inc., Dawning Village, Edwin Gould Academy, The Emmanuel Ministry (St. Alban's, Queens), Ethical Culture School, Field (The), Fieldstone School, Friends House in Rose Hill, Harlem International Community School, Heartsease Home, Hewett School, High School of Graphic Communication Arts, Holy Trinity Neighborhood Center, Hunter College High School, Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness, Interfaith Neighbors, James Baldwin Learning Center (Bronx), Layman's National Bible Assn., Manhattan Learning Center (Bd. of Ed. 96th St.), Mark Twain High School (Yonkers), Metro Ministries (Bushwick, Brooklyn), Mothers Together, Mount Carmel Holy Rosary School, National Black Theatre, Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, New York Job and Career Training Center, New York Police Dept.- Midtown North,Oasis of Love (131st St.), New York University Childhood Development Center, Our Lady of Lourdes (Astoria, Queens), Our Lady of Lourdes (Queens), Our Savior Lutheran School (Queens), Packer Collegiate Institute, Perspectives Foundation, Point (The)- Hunt's Point, Bronx, Posse Foundation, Praxis Housing Initiatives, P.S. 199 (Manhattan), P.S. 310 (Bronx), Readnet Foundation, Regional Council for Homelessness (Bridgeport, CT), Sacred Heart High School (Highland Falls, NY), St. Ann's Church (So. Bronx), St. Benedict the Moor Community Center (Bronx), St. Bernard's, School (W. 13th St.), St. Francis Academy (Jersey City), St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s, St. Ignatius Loyola Day Nursery, St. Luke's Child Psychiatric Center, St. Matthew's School, St. Peter's Church (at Citicorp Center), School of Cooperative Technical Education (Bd. Of Ed.),School News, Seeds of Peace, Skin Cancer Foundation (The), Society for Children and Families (Staten Is.), Spence, Union Settlement Assn., Urban Pathways, Vehicles, Inc., Women's Prison Assn., Worker Career Center (NYS Unemployment), Young Adult Center (128th St.).
Where a private school is listed, the computers are for the home use of the scholarship students.