Ruthie Rivas smiled a wide, gaptoothed grin when she heard the news: She was getting her very own computer.
The 8-year-old from Hempstead received the desktop computer and a printer Wednesday night at her Freeport church, Centro Cristiano Renacer, a Christian congregation composed primarily of Latinos.
"I'm excited," said Ruthie, who wants to be a doctor and said she would use the computer for reading and writing, especially fairy tales.
The computer was something of an early Christmas present for Ruthie, but instead of Santa, the gifter was a Port Washington man with a holiday spirit that lasts all year.
Jon Zimmerman, 47, a science teacher at Great Neck North Middle School, has been collecting discarded computers, printers and electronics for several years. His word-of-mouth campaign has yielded about 30 machines, most of which their owners replaced with newer models.
When Zimmerman receives a computer, he wipes clean all personal information and makes whatever repairs are necessary to ensure it is in working order before handing it off to a needy recipient. The process takes two to three hours barring any major malfunctions, he said.
"When some kids have access to a computer and some don't, they're not at a level playing field," he said. "You've got to find the charity you think you can make the most amount of difference with."
He donated about 20 machines to needy children in the Port Washington school district and recently teamed up with Centro Cristiano Renacer, which has handed out several of Zimmerman's refurbished devices.
Congregants have gratefully accepted the gifts, said church secretary Anna Martinez. "They get overwhelmed and they start to cry," she said. "There are a lot of needy people here."
Rebecca Arrevillaga, 15, of Freeport, said her grades have gone up since she received a computer. "There are a lot of other students I know that need computers," she said. "For someone to be able to donate them and fix them up, I think it's really cool."
Angelica Elvir, 13, of Elmont, said a refurbished printer saved her from frequent 30-minute walks to the public library. "I thank God for that," she said.
Martinez said the church's goal is to collect enough machines to set up a computer lab for congregants.
Nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete in the next five years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is estimated that less than 5 percent of discarded computers are donated to schools, charities and nonprofit organizations.
Keith Bresowsky, the owner of Computer Port, a repair center in Port Washington, donates computer components to Zimmerman. "If they're going to something good," he said, "then why wouldn't I give them to him?"
source: www.newsday.com
