San Marcos Students Grateful for New PCs

For most of us, May 12 was an ordinary Saturday. However, for qualifying fifth graders at Hernandez Intermediate School in San Marcos, it was a day of gratitude.

The Computers for Learning (CFL) program, a partnership between the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), private industry, nonprofit organizations and school districts donated computers to the students as part of its agreement to provide reconditioned serviceable used PCs to the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District.

Students arrived for training wide-eyed with the anticipation of taking home a new computer. As part of the CFL agreement with the school district, every student and his or her parents attend a training session to learn about maintaining the computer, as well as online computer safety.

At the conclusion of each training session, students were given their computers and were able to select a traditional white monitor or the more modern black monitor. A total of 63 computer systems were distributed.

One mother stated that her son said he was "blessed" for being chosen to receive such an amazing gift and that she was also very thankful for this opportunity.

The success of this distribution would not have been possible without the help of CFL volunteers. Grande Communications, which provides free dial-up Internet accounts for the students also assisted with distribution. Volunteers spent the day helping to answer questions, locating students' computers, and helping load the systems into cars.

Since 2001, Grande Communications has donated more than 2,000 Internet accounts, a value of more than $600,000. Other volunteers included students from Texas State University.

To date, CFL has distributed computer systems to more than 1,300 students in the Austin and San Marcos school districts.

Updated: September 19, 2007