Kids In Touch (KIT), a nonprofit organization that gives computers to kids and families with a deployed parent in the military, is seeking monetary donations to help expand the program as well as computer donations to ensure its continuation.
Jenny Dudas, a saleswoman for IBM computers and KIT director, wanted to find some way to give back to the community, she said.
“I work for IBM selling computers and see so many corporations replacing their computers every few years,” Dudas said, “They typically sell them to recyclers.”
Instead of trading their computers for pennies on the dollar, or dumping them at a recycling center, KIT is a way to put them to a really good use.
“This is a chance for those companies to do something with their used computers that is really significant, patriotic and heartwarming all at the same time, and these donations are tax deductible,” Dudas said in a press release.
This is a subject close to Dudas’ heart, as the daughter of a military father.
“My dad was in Vietnam when I was 10, and I remember not being able to keep in touch with him very often,” Dudas said. “Mail usually took a couple of weeks and I missed him so much. We didn’t have the technology then, but we do now to keep kids in touch with their deployed parent through computers and e-mail.”
KIT provides used computers and monitors, in good condition, with Microsoft Windows 2000, Internet Explorer and StarOffice applications preloaded. Microsoft approved a grant that allows Dudas to load Microsoft 2000 on each computer at a reduced cost of $5.
Dudas continues to build the KIT program during the evenings and weekends while also working at IBM. The program is currently run out of Dudas’ home garage and focuses on the Southern California area.
“Occasionally I get a request from outside Southern California, and if I can, I have helped those families,” she said.
Families in Texas, Hawaii, North Carolina and Arizona have received computers from KIT.
“I can continue to help outside the Southern California area, but with the limited funding our organization has it’s not as much as I would like,” Dudas said.
Her goal is to expand the program nationwide. The program relies solely on the financial donations of people and corporations to cover the costs of shipping outside the Southern California area.
“There aren’t enough donations to expand at this time, but I certainly hope that will change and people that are fortunate to be with their children will want to help out families that cannot always be together,” Dudas said.
Currently, KIT has collected 150 computers, which will be distributed by the end of September, and will also be delivering 50 computers to Camp Pendleton at the end of August to distribute to families that have contacted KIT in the past month.
To qualify for a KIT computer, the military family must have a parent deployed currently, or within the coming six months, and a child under the age of 18. Military ID will be required when the computer is picked up at the KIT headquarters or upon delivery.
For more information on Kids In Touch, visit www.kitcommunications.org. To request one of the currently available computers, or to donate computers or volunteer to help Kids In Touch, please call Dudas, (858) 337-7355.