Most people don't ever hear about that kind of stuff - but a lot of good works are done by off duty people to make the place where they live a little bit better.

In early 2000, I was stationed in Norfolk Virginia (NAVSTA NORVA) and I ran across a guy who was nominally a locksmith by trade. But he had this idea that a lot of people had old outmoded computers that were gathering dust in closets and such, but they still worked. Also - at about that time local schools expected homework to be turned in PRINTED OUT, and done on a computer....

This meant if you didn't have one, the kids had to stand in line at the schools media center after school, very often. It was unrealistic.

Since most "disadvantaged" families couldn't afford one (and home PC's were still a new idea) he formed an organization (unfortunately it was later discredited) called "Komputers for Kidz 2000" - and what it was about is that you turned in the old stuff you were no longer even thinking of using so that it could be turned around and put into the hands of needy families.

***In my opinion, this is still a STELLAR idea***

I was one of the volunteer "GEEKS", and yeah, we did that. Because of inadequate screening of volunteers and a few other problems, it eventually came unraveled - but the essential idea is still sound

~ Back then, windows 3.0 was still on a lot of stuff, and you had to know DOS

ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS (in case anyone is interested in starting up something like this) was that you had to have registered software for the OPSYS. But this doesn't seem to be too big a deal anymore. Worse case scenario is that you could set up LYNUX on a newer system


Who else has stories of good things military people do on their off-time?

 

Every year the new-CPO selectees, and Marines at NAS Whidbey, Wash. clean up up the Whidbey Animal Improvement Foundation. It's a non-profit place that had paid employees (Donna worked there 12 years) and weekly volunteers for dog-walking and cat-cuddling. It was an old ex-county maintenance building we built kennels into for 40-some dogs and 60-some cats at full capacity. The woods always tried to reclaim it, and the vol work crews would hack blackberry, tear out hornet's nests, paint inside and out. The gals and guys would bring a good potluck or order out for lunch. The work would go for 2-3 days and really helped to keep the place habitable and sanitary. I spent a week rebuilding dog kennels, cause i had the tools. And all those critters got LOUD at feeding time.

G'night for real this time

 

~In 2000, NAMTRA NORVA had adopted a local elementary school, and did an annual picnic.

They also did a community clean-up while I was there, dragging old tires and junk out of the woods and other places, in cooperation with the City of Norfolk - who collected all that stuff and hauled it to Mount Trashmore

Norfolk Naval Station also hosts five K runs, for novice and advanced runners, that the "Proceeds Thereof" are used for charitable purposes

*Or so it was when I was stationed there. I still have two of the T-shirts

PS: If you run slow - there won't be much PIZZA left when you get to the finish line.
~Don't ask how I know that!