Welcome to Computers for Classrooms
Watch our Video
CFC was started in 1991 as a volunteer program to refurbish donated computers for schools. Bruce Jans, a professional videographer, has produced a video about our program. The video should give you a good perspection about CFC and the scope of our program. Enjoy!
SF Big is working with San Francisco Schools
The San Francisco Big program is working with Computers for Classrooms to bring computer systems to the San Francisco Unified School District. CFC will now accept donations for your favorite School District to supply excellent computers, LCD monitors, networking equipment, printers, digital projectors or whatever services the school requests. You can ask that your donations go to your favorite school or school district. Since CFC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) your donations will qualify as a charitable donation. If you want your donation to go to a certain school or program, please send us an email to let us know: cfc@digitalpath.net.
CFC has reached the ONE MILLION POUND plateau!
CFC had a goal of reaching one million pounds of donations for the 2012 year but we have had to revise our goals. We have actually reached that mark during the 2011 year. Since becoming R2 Certified, our donation stream has increased as additional donors realize the benefits of working with an audited program to assure their data is secure and their donations are being handled properly. CFC has the additional benefit of reusing as much as possible. Thanks to all of you that have allowed our program to flourish.
Come to our Super Bowl Saturday Event from 9 to 2
CFC will be open Saturday, February 4th, for drop-offs of donated equipment and for purchasing computer systems. Bring your older electronics on Saturday so that you have room for the ones your received for Christmas. Be certain that your imformation is professionally wiped by CFC at no charge and allow others the opportunity to receive a refurbished computer system.
We offer a free diagnosis of problem computers for low-income families. Home pick-up for elderly or disabled families may be available. Call 895-4175 to make arrangements before Saturday.
Look at our special offering - a Space-Saver Dell computer, a high end Pentium 4, with Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Security Essentials, a 17" LCD monitor, keyboard, mouse, one-year warranty for only $125.00. Don't miss out!
If you have purchased a previous system from CFC and want to upgrade to a newer faster system, CFC will give you a credit towards the purchase of another system if you return the older model to be recycled properly. You can turn in that Windows XP computer with a CRT monitor for a newer Windows7 computer with a LCD monitor.
Our Computer Mobile is Here
The CFC Computer Mobile can come to your senior center, school, library or where ever low-income families want to get computers. We can come to rural locations where it is difficult for families to come to us. Call 530-895-4175 or email pfurr@chicousd.org to see about scheduling an event for your program.
Pat Furr and Francis Fawcett win the Jim Lynch Award
Pat Furr and Francis Fawcett received the Jim Lynch Award from the International Comptuer Refurbishers Summit in Austin, TX in November. Pat Furr, the Founder/President of Computers for Classrooms, was recognized for the many years of dedication and support to other refurbishers. Francis was the Microsoft Director of the Registered Refurbisher Program that allows refurbishers to license donated computers when they are to be used in schools, with non-profits or low-income families. Francis will not be as involved with the MRR Program in the future so the members wanted to recognize her efforts in furthering the cause of obtaining technology for schools and families that can't afford to buy new products.
CFC is now R2 Certified!
Why is R2 Certification important? The federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) had been encouraging refurbishers and recyclers to become certified as either R2 or E-Stewards. The two programs are very demanding and audit the processes used in handling materials, employee and volunteer safety, security of data received, the downstream vendors selected, health and safety provisions, current laws and regulations, etc.
As an example of our processes, we must audit our downstream vendor so that we know where they send the materials we give them and how they process the materials. None of the materials will go to the landfill, be incinerated or shipped illegally to other countries. We continue the audit until the final end of life of the material. We in turn are audited at least annually in order to keep our certification. Our initial audit took four days - two days in May and another two days in June.
To learn more about the process and protections offered by using an R2 Certified Refurbisher visit R2 Solutions.
See a copy of our Certification by clicking on CFC R2 Certificate.
Windows 7 has arrived!
As a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher CFC is able to load Windows 7 Pro, Windows XP Pro, Microsoft Office 2007 Basic and Microsoft Office 2003 including PowerPoint. The new price sheet is available now. We are including flat panel monitors (LCDs) with every system! Get a Windows XP Pro Pentium 4 computer with LCD monitor and Microsoft Office 2007 with a one year warranty for $125. Our Windows 7 computers with additional RAM are either $150 or $200 ( with a 19" LCD and new graphics card). Check out our latest family or non-profit price sheet. We allow those who have received computers from us in the past to upgrade to a newer system at a reduced price. Bring your older system to us and find out how we can keep you current with the newer systems we are receiving at an even lower price.
New Addition - Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student
Microsoft Registered Refurbishers have geen given the ability to install Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student on computers going to low-income families or to other non-profits. We will be able to install Office PowerPoint that was not included in Office Basic. It will probably take two or three weeks to get the COAs (Certificates of Authorization), but we will start installing the programs as soon as we can. We are delighted to be able to offer Windows 7 Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, Security Essentials, LCD monitors and a one year warranty. We keep trying to improve and to lower prices.
High Speed Internet from Comcast
Computers for Classrooms will be assisting families that have a child in the FREE lunch program through their school to obtain low cost broadbank Internet is they live in a Comcast cable community. To qualify for the program families need to have at least one child in the free lunch program, they cannot owe Comcast money or equipment and they cannot have had Comcast Internet for 90 days. Starting in August they can call to sign up for the program. The cost will be $9.95 per month plus tax but there will be no setup fees, no credit check, no social security check and free modem and installation. At last there is an excellent opportunity for familys to be able to use the many features of a high speed Internet connection.
When Comcast bought NBC earlier this year, they agreed to assist 6.6 million families to be able to connect to the Internet. Call Computers for Classrooms to help you get started. The phone bank will be active August 1st. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
CFC Is an Affiliate of Computers for Youth
CFC has been an active partner with Computers for Youth for the past three years. CFY specializes in offering educational software to low income families. They work with educators and students to find the best software available that has educational value and that students enjoy using. This year's offerings are very extensive and contain $250 worth of programs that we can offer to low-income families.
New computer users of all ages or students will find these programs very interesting. The family does not have to be connected to the Internet to be able to use many of the programs.
If you are interested in getting a computer with lots of software that can help students to learn even more over the summer while thinking they are just playing games, get in touch with CFC. We can offer a fully loaded computer with a LCD monitor for $150.
Teachers, parents and students can go to the CFY free website at My Home Learning for other great programs sorted by topic and age level - all for free with an Internet connection.
Check Out Our New Tech Tips
Computer Refurbishers many want to check out the Tech Tips links. We have a discussion and tools for de-activating Windows computers and at long last a paper allowing PC Users to set up a Linux Server for multi-casting and cloning computers.
The Clonezilla SE Guide has taken longer than expected to make it easy to replicate by non-Linux users. Enjoy and please send along feedback so we can make it even better.
We also provide a simplified way of using Sysprep to load images on any make and model of computer.
1,000 Free Computers Delivered to Schools
CFC has been working with Dr. Rob Fairlie, UC,Santa Cruz, as a part of a research project to determine the benefits of having a home computer. We gave 1,000 free home computers systems to selected schools in Chico, Marysille, Yuba City, Sacramento and Fresno. The first round of 500 donated computers was made last fall. The final round was delivered to the schools recently.
Pat Furr was invited by the Sacramento City Unified School District School Board meeting to receive an award acknowleding the receipt of 400 computers given to Sacramento middle school children.
We are awaiting the results of Dr. Fairlie's research. It will take some time to receive the final data from the schools and to evaluate the results. It may help us to understand the value of reusing computer systems and the benefits to an individual's educational opportunities.
Computers for Haiti
Computers for Classrooms recently donated laptops for the relief efforts in Haiti. Vanessa Michel-Aguilar is working on a doctoral thesis and living in Chico, CA. Her father is the director of a relief agency in Haiti.
The laptops have arrived!
Just in time! The rainy season has started and there is a desperate need for tents and housing. The crowded conditions are made even worse by the lack of drainage, sanitation and sufficient medical supplies of all kinds. If you can help in any way please contact Vanessa and her father's charitable organization in Haiti.
Computers for Tanzania
The entire Chico community came together to assist two villages in Tanzania, Africa. Ronald Reed, a local attorney, has been traveling to Tanzania each summer to assist the communities by furnishing equipment, knowledge and labor in bringing wells and water to the villages. He asked if CFC could help the schools by providing computer systems, networking equipment and a video projector for training. Electricity has only recently come to the area. The nearest Internet is still 30 miles away.
The student's of Pleasant Valley High School through the Globally Conscious Youth (GCY) club and the efforts of their instructor, Charlie Copeland, put on a series of fund raising events to support the cause. With the money they raised, the space in the container furnished by Ron Reed, and the systems set up by CFC the combined effort made it happen. We are hoping for photos from Tanzania once the project has been completed. Communities can come together to make a difference!
Wonderful stories about this project can be found at ChicoSol.