APCUG Announces Jerry Awards for Community Service Projects

International Computer User Groups Receive "Jerries" for Humanitarian Work
Bringing Computing to the Underprivileged

LAS VEGAS, January 3, 2005. HelpingTulsa received two of fourteen community service project "Jerry Awards" from the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG) at their annual convention in Las Vegas. It is but one of xx user groups around the world to receive a "Jerry" award.

The winning groups are:

Ongoing Project - WHAT we do
1st Place Central Iowa Computer User Group $1500
2nd Place Computers Assisting People $1000
2nd Place Rockport Computer User Group $1000
3rd Place Interactive Computer Owners Network $500
3rd Place Melbourne PC User Group $500

Ongoing Project - HOW we do it
1st Place Computers Assisting People $1500
2nd Place Central Maryland Users Group $1000
2nd Place Tulsa Computer Society $1000
3rd Place North Texas PC User Group $500

New Project - Combined WHAT & HOW categories
1st Place Big Bear Computer Club $1500
2nd Place Bowling Green Area Microcomputer User Group $1000
2nd Place Tulsa Computer Society $1000
3rd Place Amador Computer Users Group $500
3rd Place Northwest Apple Pickers $500

For example, the Tulsa Computer Society through their project, Helping Tulsa, are providing refurbished computers to schools, churches and nonprofit agencies, senior citizen centers and Tulsa and HUD Housing facilities. More than 1,000 computers have been distributed to date.

The Tulsa Computer Society has begun helping other non profit groups to set up computer refurbishing projects in their own communities. Recently they assisted a group in Superior, Nebraska to learn how to refurbish computers to help needy people in their area of the country.

Said Gene Barlow, one of three judges of the projects, "HelpingTulsa's Computer Refurbishing project is thoroughly documented with working code and procedures. It provides an excellent set of materials for others to copy and use, and I liked the multiplier effect of their efforts to set up other computer refurbishing projects. It has far reaching results that are very positive."

Ongoing projects were judged both on WHAT they do, and on their documentation on HOW they do what they do. Said Don Singleton, Chairman of the Community Service Project, "We hope that by seeing HOW groups run their community service projects will encourage others to replicate those efforts in their own area."

Said Yvette Marrin, President, National Cristina Foundation, and judge of the Jerry Awards, "In honoring user groups with the Jerry Awards, we are paying tribute to the importance of the efforts of volunteers that have made a significant difference to people in a wide range of communities. The National Cristina Foundation distributes used technology to benefit people in need across our nation. User groups have been important partners helping to assure that this technology is put to significant use."

Many APCUG groups are involved in community service projects of all sizes and scope. The purpose of the Jerry Awards is to recognize and reward these projects and to encourage new and expanded involvement. These projects exemplify how the mottoes of "user helping users" and "user groups helping user groups" have evolved into "user groups helping the community."