Elfen_Furry Moderator
Joined: 18 Jun 2002 Posts: 2601 Location: NYC NY
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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:11 am Post subject: The Last Ship to Lithuania... |
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The end of one of my many projects comes to a close. This Saturday, The last shipment to Lithuania full of help supplies and goods leave the USA and arrive there 3 weeks later. Its supported by the Lithuanian Christian Fund.
I've been dealing with the Computer Portion since about '92, recieving donated equipment and getting it together. What some people send as a donation, and expect to get a tax write off, I swear, if I was not so nice, I would have given them my size 11.
It was not until Clinton's second term that the laws changed so that more up-to-date equipment can be sent, under the old laws, everything sent had to be at least 2 generations behind current technology. Well, in the days of the 386- that was a lot.
Since day one, we hoped to send 10,000 computers (about 1,000 per year); and only once had we made that score. We average about 750 per year.
When I say we, its a 3 person job. Karyl- gets the donations, Roze- gets help to pack them in boxes. I wade through the parts and disks and out something together. We did this one a week, for 3 out of 4 weekends out of the month. In short, get get trash, we send out working machines almost like new; that should last them a few more years for them to learn on.
I'm the youngest, Karyl's the middle one, who's husband died last year, and through his help, Lithunia named a school after him. Roze's the oldest at 83, and to hear her talk about red-curtian history is to listen to a participant of those times.
We've sent Apples and XT's/AT's in our early years, this last shippent is sending Pentium III's and G3 Macs. It goes to schools, churches and orpanages, along with computers (1 per box, about 5 - 10 per organization), there is also food and clothes stuffed with it. The local college there does the literacy and tech support...
This is the last shipment, because the organization that supports this ran out of money. It takes $12 grand to ship the trailer we stuff, $45 grand buy it (they dont get returned unfortunately), and $8 grand to pay off customs over there, or they would steal the whole load (its happened before).
If it wasn't for the group going broke part, I was sure that we would have met the 10-grand units by year's end...
Well, like its said so often, all good thing must come to and end. _________________ SHARKS In The Gene Pool South of Kosovo!
*CHOMP!* |
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