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CCFTC began with a 911 call from a
quadriplegic, needing
help. An
HCSO Deputy responded, the
problem was solved, and a friendship was
formed. The quadriplegic, Carol had as
her only lifeline, and old computer that
allowed her access to the outside world via
the Internet. Carol, spent hours each
day in cyberspace talking to, and counseling
other spinal cord patients from all over the
world. "Ladyquad" was making a
difference in the lives of all she
touched… Then her computer broke
down beyond repair, cutting her link to the
outside world off. Carol on a small fixed
income could not afford the cost of a
specially designed machine to adapt with her
disability.
Her Deputy friend Steve
McDermott "Took it to the troops". He put the call
out and within only a few days, over a thousand dollars
was raised from rank and file deputies in
Hillsborough
County.
A local computer company agreed to
build "at cost" a special needs computer for her. Carol
was given her new computer system several days later.
The Tampa Tribune ran an
article on this project, and as a result, additional
funds were received which allowed Carol to pay for
Time Warner Road Runner
"always on" cable modem
service for approximately two years.......
The
Tampa Tribune ran a second
article
about this remarkable lady, thanking those
readers who contributed. As a result, additional funds were
received from readers.
Additionally, several
local businesses donated computer equipment and money, and asked
that it be given to other less fortunate persons. These
companies liked the idea that Police and Sheriff's deputies,
who are out in and serving the community everyday, could
quickly identify those special needs families without having
to go through the red tape and bureaucracy associated with
other charitable entities.
As a result,
HCSO Deputy Steve McDermott, Officer Brent Meyers of
the Tampa Police
Department, and a
representative of a local computer company, discussed what
could be done with the additionally donated funds and
computer equipment, and decided to form a volunteer charity
group consisting of public safety officers of various
agencies within the Tampa Bay area.
This idea culminated in the formation
of a not-for-profit charitable corporation
comprised of public safety
professionals and members of the computer industry. Their purpose
is to cut through red tape and government bureaucracy, and to place
computers "free of charge" into the homes of kids with special
needs. The basic philosophy of our group is "Need not creed,
every kid needs a chance to succeed".
We
all realized that in the ever changing and competitive computer driven
society we live in, a kid without computer skills has two strikes
against him before he or she even begins to try and succeed in life. We
fully intended, and grounded our group in the philosophy of
"Changing
lives, one computer at a time"™.
On
May 16, 2002, we gave our first computer away. Our recipient was
The Goddard family foster home in eastern Hillsborough County Florida.
It is a very special place that over the years has taken in over 700
abused and neglected children in the foster care system, most of which
have special needs or learning disabilities.
Our
fledgling organization initially intended on placing at least one
computer system a month into the home of a needy family. However, we
have been blessed and through the support we have received from the
community partnerships with other charitable groups that share our
philosophy, we have greatly surpassed that modest goal.
The
media has been very good to us, and our message is getting out to the
public now. Donations of money and computer equipment are
beginning to increase. However, we fully intend on continuing
"preaching our message" at every opportunity we get. We are
constantly seeking additional funds and computer equipment for
distribution, as well as community support.
It
is important to note that 100% of funds received, go back into the
project. All usable computer equipment is distributed. We even build
systems from parts of others. Each computer we put out in the community,
that connects a kid to a world of enhanced possibilities in their lives,
hopefully means one less kid that ends up in the criminal justice
system.
Our
group still is in need of additional public safety personnel, computer
professionals, and other "big hearted" volunteers from all
walks of life to become part of the team and help us continue to
"Change lives, one computer at a time". Our current
intention is to make this a statewide charity within the next year. Our
first formal organizational meeting was on June 25, 2002 at the
Palm River Weed and Seed office located at 7444 Palm River Road in
Tampa.
Since
that time we have gone forward to become a strong and vibrant part of
the community we serve. We have forged relationships with several
community groups, like the P.O.I.N.T.,
Weed and Seed, Mad Dads, Inc., and several
large corporations, to provide cutting edge computer technology, free of
charge, to the community we serve. We have greatly surpassed our initial
modest goal of providing one computer a month to a needy child. Today,
we are giving away between 15 and 20 systems a month, and have refocused
our client base to include everything from kids in elementary school, to
our seniors in nursing facilities. We have found that at any age, the
quality of life of our clients is improved with access to
computers and the internet.
