Helping Victims Become Survivors 4
January 23rd, 2009 by ComputerBob
As I’ve said before, it’s my honor to work as a full-time volunteer for a domestic violence center. In my work, I do a variety of tasks and have created a few unique projects. In one of those projects, I take donated PCs and set them up with a simple, secure Linux configuration that domestic violence survivors can use in their homes to complete their educations and build new lives for themselves.
The word is starting to spread that my project is a success, and as a result, I’ve gotten too many donated PCs (and printers, monitors, scanners, etc.) to fit into the little area that I had been using at the DV center.
So I got permission to take the donated equipment home, where I can set up PCs and configure them to work with my broadband Internet connection before passing them on to worthy families. To facilitate that goal, I just ordered a new DSL modem/router, which will allow me to have my own PC and up to 3 donated PCs online at the same time.
The only remaining major problem was that, although I had room in a corner of my garage to store a few PCs, I didn’t have a table to put each PC on while I was setting it up. So, several times, I had to set them up on the floor in one corner of my living room, which forced me to kneel on the floor for hours at a time. Ouch.
After seeing the prohibitively priced new tables at several stores over the past week or so, yesterday, I decided to check our local hospice’s thrift shop for a good used table.
It took me less than a minute to find the perfect, butcher-block table, 48″ long, 27″ deep, and 1 1/4 inches thick — more than strong enough to hold me, let alone a PC or two. I’m no expert on types of wood, so it may be made out of solid pine, but it looks to me like it’s made out of solid maple. Its monitor shelf isn’t connected, so it can be moved or removed, depending on my needs.
Like many survivors, it’s got a few scratches, scuff marks and scars, but it’s strong and more than able to do the job.
Plus it fits perfectly in my office, corner-to-corner with my desk and next to the new electric outlet that I installed (on a separate circuit from the rest of the room) a few months ago.
It was donated to the hospice thrift shop yesterday.
Just in time for me to buy it.
And it cost only $19 (USD).
Here it is:
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Tags:
Domestic Violence, Education, Inspirational, Personal, Security, Survivors, Tech Support