Calling all geeks and wanna-be-geeks! Or, well, calling anyone, really (no tech skills required!). Join us at OneWebDay Columbus to

• Drop off your unused computers and peripherals (we know you have them!),
• Learn about open source software,
• Learn about free/low cost online applications,
• Learn how to refurbish and recycle technology, and (most importantly)...
• Eat our BW3 wings (provided by EdgeCase and BW3).

Aug 5, 2009 @5:30 pm
Location - FreeGeek Columbus

Founded by Susan Crawford, who now advises President Obama on science, technology, and innovation policy, OneWebDay is an annual, global event which is celebrated every September 22 since 2006.  Much like Earth Day, which inspired it, OneWebDay provides an opportunity for communities to celebrate the power of Web for positive change, to take action to protect what is precious about it, and to educate the public and policy-makers on key social, economic, and political Web issues.

This year's theme -- One Web.  For All -- is all about digital inclusion, digital literacy, and working to close the digital divide.  OneWebDay organizers will call attention to efforts that work to ensure that anyone who wants it has access to the Internet and the skills they need to engage in our new communications environment.

Students of the English as a Second Language program at The Ohio State University visited FreeGeek Columbus today to participate in a service learning opportunity. The ESL students learned about FreeGeek Columbus, got some hands-on time disassembling PCs and installing Ubuntu GNU/Linux, and had an excellent opportunity to practice their conversational English skills with native speakers. Everyone had a good time!

The FreeGeek Columbus Board of Directors have recently added two new members: Scott Merrill and Steve Lefevre.

Scott has been involved with the organization since its inception in 2004. He served on the board previously as treasurer and played an instrumental role in incorporating the organization and attaining 501(c)3 status. Steve has been a volunteer with FreeGeek Columbus for quite some time, and helped to shepherd a hardware grant for the North United Methodist Church.

The experience and insight that Scott and Steve bring to the Board of Directors will be helpful as the organization continues to grow and pursue its mission of computer re-use, recycling, and education.

On Saturday, June 20, from noon to 4 PM, FreeGeek Columbus will be hosting our first open house! You are invited to stop by, chat with FreeGeek Columbus volunteers, tour our facility, and enjoy some free snacks. This is a great opportunity to learn about computer refurbishing, electronics recycling, Linux, Free Software, and more!

We'll have fun and geeky games for kids of all ages. Please bring your family and friends -- and any donations you might have -- with you! Our volunteers will be there to share their experiences at FreeGeek Columbus, and hopefully some representatives from some of the organizations that have received hardware grants.

FreeGeek Columbus is much more than just an organization that refurbishes and recycles computers: it's a vibrant community! The first FreeGeek Columbus open house is an opportunity to put a face to that community, and for you to join us in our mission.

Hope to see you there!

FreeGeek Columbus is getting ready to open it's first round of hardware grants for 2009! The hardware grant process allows us to make donations to local non-profits with computing needs, be it a computer lab for a community center, or network switch for a small office. The process can be a little clumsy for some, so we're hosting a Grant Development Day on Thursday June 11th. FreeGeek Columbus will host morning and early evening grant training sessions, along with an open lab. Employees and volunteers from organizations in need can get help preparing a grant application, or check out our facilities. As a volunteer organization, FreeGeek Columbus must budget our human resources. We don't have the capacity to be the IT department for the organizations receiving hardware grants.