ComputerCorps to celebrate 20 years with Governor's Mansion gala

Two decades is a long time to spend collecting used computers and components that nobody wants anymore. A lot of inventory can be amassed in that span.

One look inside the warehouse at ComputerCorps in Carson City tells the story of a business that has been making a difference locally and worldwide since 1997.

Several thousand square feet of warehouse space is dedicated to finding a home for unwanted computers, accessories and other electronics that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

"Close to one million pounds are kept out of landfills every year," said ComputerCorps President and Development Director Ron Norton.

More than 9 million computer-related items and 10 million pounds of elctronic waste have been saved from the landfill by ComputerCorps over the past two decades.

At ComputerCorps, an internationally recognized 501(c)3 federal non-profit organization, these discarded products are given new life and new purpose as they are refurbished, reused or recycled.

More than 17,000 computer systems have been upgraded, repaired or refurbished and returned back to the community since ComputerCorps began its operations.

"Our primary goal is reuse," Norton said. "We do that by refurbishing the units and upgrading them. Our secondary goal is to recycle whatever can't be reused."

Norton said very little of the materials received by ComputerCorps is waste. Less than five percent of what comes in to the warehouse ends up as scrap destined for the landfill, he said.

What does get thrown away is typically material that's already designated for the landfill: kitchen and yard garbage, and paper or plastic trash items.

Everything else is recycled or refurbished for reuse.

Refurbished computers are updated with the latest Microsoft Windows operating system, Norton said, so that they are not just in useable condition, but are optimized to handle current software demands.

A refurbished computer unit, either desktop or laptop, from ComputerCorps is priced as little as $95. Desktop units at that price come with the tower, display monitor, mouse and keyboard — everything a consumer would need, and at minimal cost.

But these computers aren't of the cheap variety, either, Norton said.

Ninety percent of the laptops refurbished and sold at ComputerCorps are commercial grade units, he said, built for a three to five-year life as opposed to the one-year life of most consumer-grade hardware.

"We get this stuff in from hospitals, banks, as well as city, state and tribal governments," Norton said. "It then goes back into the community."

More than 4,000 businesses, 650 community organizations and over 8,000 individuals have donated items to ComputerCorps in the past two decades.

The utmost care is taken to wipe sensitive information off every computer that is donated to ComputerCorps, Norton said, so donors can feel safe about depositing their unwanted units here.

ComputerCorps is a certified data destruction center, he said, meaning that those responsible for erasing hard disk drives possess and maintain the highest levels of computer security clearance.

"No one has access to any material on any hard drive. Everything is taken out," Norton said. "The people who work in this area are highly trusted and secured. They have no access to the data, either."

Refurbished goods are either sold at the on-site store, located at 550 Mallory Way, or else online via Craigslist and Ebay, he said.

While ComputerCorps relies on its sales to stay in business, Norton said the operation has always been about community first.

"We sell as much as we can to keep the doors open," he said. "We're giving as much stuff away as we sell."

The entire operation is run by just a handful of minimum wage staff. Volunteers handle most of the labor, Norton said. They have had the biggest impact on the success of ComputerCorps over the past 20 years.

More than 7,000 volunteers have contributed over 700,000 hours to ComputerCorps since the project began in 1997, Norton said.

Volunteers come from all walks of life throughout the community, he said, many of them with special needs.

From seniors to the disabled, low-income individuals, displaced workers, at-risk youth, and those performing community service through the court system, ComputerCorps has been as much a second home to many volunteers over the years as it has been a place to work.

Norton said ComputerCorps has been committed to the livelihoods of its volunteerss from the very beginning, offering not only a place where they can feel productive again, but also where they can get some of their needs met.

A partner with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada since 1999, ComputerCorps has gone to great lengths to ensure volunteers get what they need to live on.

"They get fresh produce, fresh meats, canned goods and whatever else is available to eat," Norton said.

Hot meals are also prepared fresh daily by volunteers and for volunteers at the kitchen inside the ComputerCorps building, he said.

"We try to provide them with a hot meal six days a week, as well as a couple boxes of food every week," Norton said. "This sometimes is their only or best meal of the day."

The operation is also a training center as much as it is a workplace for volunteers, Norton said, helping people to become computer literate through hands-on skill building.

Since its inception, ComputerCorps has recorded more than 400,000 training hours for volunteers, while 13,000 individuals have been provided with computer equipment and/or training.

Over the past 17 years, ComputerCorps has also hosted more than 70 tech camps for youth ages nine to 15 years old.

These two-week intensives feature three-hour days filled with hands-on activities that result in each of the 14-18 campers having torn down, tested and rebuilt their very own computers.

Then there is the group of "golden geeks," Norton said, volunteers in their seventies or eighties who may not have a background in computer technology to start with, but they end up developing these skills.

"We teach and train them from start to finish how to do all this stuff," he said.

Volunteer hours are open to anyone, Norton said, not just people with special needs. In exchange for 48 hours of volunteer labor, a person can earn their very own free computer system, either a desktop or a laptop, complete with all necessary components.

There are 26 different job descriptions at ComputerCorps, he said, so there is something for everyone to be able to do.

From front office administration to retail, cooking and meal preparation, sorting, repairing, testing, tearing down, disassembling and reassembling computers, volunteers opportunities are as deep as the span of the warehouse itself.

"Our mission is to get people involved on a long-term basis," Norton said.

ComputerCorps will celebrate 20 years in business this Saturday, Sept. 23 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Nevada Governor's Mansion, 606 Mountain Street in Carson City.

Norton said he wants this celebration to be more about the people who have made ComputerCorps a success than the operation itself.

"We want to get as many of the 7,000 volunteers that we've had to come and say hi to us, so they can see that we've made it after 20 years," he said.

Saturday's gala will feature live music, raffles and prizes, as well as food and refreshments, ComputerCorps Community Relations Coordinator Kathy Peterson said.

The event is sponsored, in part, by Casino Fandango, Black Bear Diner, the Max Casino, 99.1 FM Talk, the Nevada Appeal, and Computer Corps, among others.

Several local food vendors will be donating fresh-prepared eats at the event, including Duke's Steakhouse and TiAmo Italian Grill inside the Casino Fandango, the Max Casino's Black Bear Diner, Juan's Mexican Grill, and even Carson City Barbecue, which won fourth place overall at the 2017 Nugget Best In the West Rib Cook-Off in Sparks a few weeks ago.

"Come party with us," Peterson said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

Dress is casual and comfortable. Cost of the event is $15 in advance or $20 at the door, located inside the Nevada Room and on the surrounding grounds at the Nevada Governor's Mansion.

Parking is available at Carson Middle School with shuttle service provided.

Advanced tickets can be purchased online at www.computercorps.org or in person at the ComputerCorps office, 550 Mallory Way in Carson City.

Call ComputerCorps at 775-883-2323 or visit it online here for more information. Find and like ComputerCorps here on Facebook, too.