Westchester PC Renew Gave Away Over 1,500 Computer to Needy Persons

A two-decades-old non-profit program donating free refurbished personal computers to disadvantaged persons in Westchester County is suspending operations indefinitely due to a lack of lockable workspace necessary for refurbishing.

Westchester PC Renew has distributed over 1,500 refurbished used personal computers locally since 2004, but its shoe-string budget that includes all-volunteer free labor is unable to afford rental of commercial workspace at market rates. Westchester PC Renew operates under the umbrella of non-profit TechEdConnect, which is a local community service organization helping the general public navigate personal technology.

“You can’t do your homework or apply for a job without a computer,” says Dobbs Ferry psychologist Dr. Beverly Richard. “It’s a necessity to be plugged into the world today.” Dr. Richard is a retired psychologist from the Children’s Village, a nonprofit residential treatment center and social service organization for children and families , which received hundreds of free desktops and laptops over the years.

One thank-you letter from an area recipient says, “I will use the computer for my homework project and most likely college study. I don’t have to go to the library [anymore] and worry about running out of time, or my work not saving.”

The Mental Health Association of Westchester wrote: “The youngster was clearly very happy to have a working computer, which she had learned to use while in foster care but which had not been available to her once she returned home.”

Seven of the many thank-you letters received from recipients are posted on the www.TechEdConnect.org website. On homepage, scroll down to “We love hearing from recipients of our refurbished computers “

Over the years, Westchester PC-Renew has given free refurbished PCs to the needy via these organizations: Cancer Support Team of Westchester, Cerebral Palsy of Westchester, The Children’s Village, three Choice programs, the Department of Veterans Affairs – Hudson Valley Health Care System, Dobbs Ferry Library, Eastchester Community Action Program, Family Services of Westchester in White Plains, Foster Teen Employment Network in Rye Brook, Girl Scouts of Westchester & Putnam, Grace Church/Grace Community Center White Plains, Greenburgh Nature Center, Head Start of Westchester in Purchase, Hearts and Homes for Refugees in Pelham, Mental Health Association of Westchester, Pace-United Hebrew Geriatric Center in New Rochelle, Salvation Army of Peekskill, St Joseph’s Nursing Home in Yonkers, Archbishop Stepinac High School of White Plains, Guidance Center of Mt. Vernon, United Way of Westchester and Putnam, and three area Westcop programs.

Among Westchester PC-Renew’s accomplishments is recycling equipment. Used PCs do not go into landfills in an eco-friendly benefit of the program. Because of the wind-down, no more equipment is being received.

“We’ve provided a great community service for over 20 years,” says Pierre Darmon, a Westchester PC-Renew volunteer and White Plains resident. “But without a lockable suitable workspace this can’t continue. But we are still hopeful a solution can be found.” Darmon is a computer support consultant who is a former career IBMer. He is also president of the non-profit TechEdConnect, the organization that originated WPC-Renew.

At minimum, 700 square feet of space is required for volunteers to work during repair sessions, and it’s required the space be locked to securely store hardware components, equipment and tools.

Greenburgh-resident Allan Turnbull, a retired civil servant and a photography enthusiast, became a volunteer worker 14 years ago with his wife, Heather. He didn’t have computer expertise so Turnbull started by checking computer monitor screens “to see if they were cracked or had other problems,” he says. “It was simple stuff. As we learned more, we were asked to do more complex testing and work.” 

Heather, who has a long computer background after retiring from the art department as a graphic designer at MetLife insurance, says “it felt like working in Santa’s workshop.” But instead of making toys, the countertops were cluttered with computers, parts, tools and diagnostic equipment.

Volunteers numbering a dozen at a time used to gather to accomplish refurbishing together, but with the pandemic they also arranged to work remotely. The refurbishing is most productive when done as a group because collaboration is easy and parts are more readily accessible. Computers are desktops and laptops that are equipped with free, open-source software: the Linux operating system and LibreOffice, which are similar to Microsoft’s Windows operating system and the related MS Office productivity software. For a time, Westchester PC-Renew was an authorized Microsoft refurbisher, installing new Microsoft software on its donated PCs, but software prices became unaffordable over time.

The open-sourced Linux can run on older, less-powerful PCs so “that’s why we can use older computers because Linux will operate just fine,” says Linda Iannuzzo, a volunteer who is a retired teacher from City University of New York. She is also VP of TechEdConnect.

Over the years, Westchester PC-Renew was housed in the basement of Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, and Wartburg Residential and Rehabilitation Center in Mount Vernon. Both hosts needed to reclaim the work space, and Westchester PC-Renew found renting workspace is unaffordable.

A separate, sibling organization PC-Renew in nearby Rockland County, which pre-dates Westchester PC-Renew, continues (mostly in volunteers’ homes) and is unaffected by the wind-down of the Westchester project.

Be Alert! Fraudsters Email Congregations Members in Names of Local Clergy

Fake emails and texts sent to members of religious groups asking for cash or gift cards—in the name of local clergy—are an epidemic online fraud nationally and appearing in the Westchester County area, alerts a local technology enthusiast group.

Four such scams have been identified in the Westchester County region in recent months, according to TechEdConnect^SM, a 41-year-old local community-service group previously known as Westchester PC Users Group (www.wpcug.org). The fraudulent emails/texts are dressed up to appear to be from a local clergy.

This is widespread in many other regions and it’s only a matter of time before the fraudsters start saturating our Westchester suburban area because of its affluence, says Pierre Darmon, president of TechEdConnect^SM. We’re aware of four area houses of worship that warned their congregations of fake emails soliciting money in the name of local clergy. When people see a familiar local name, they often let their guards down.

Darmon, who is a White Plains-based computer consultant, adds, This is prevalent because the scammers realize that the public is accustomed to making financial donations to religious organizations. TechEdConnect^SM advises:

• Don’t reply by clicking links or use phone numbers within the received emails/texts, even if the sender’s name is familiar, because those could connect to fraudsters. Better to verify by contacting directly.
• Take a close look at any sender’s email address. If the domain is not a religious organization but rather a general-purpose Gmail or AOL domain, that’s a signal the message may not be genuine.
• For texts, see if the clergy sender’s area code is not local. If not local, it might be fake.
• Be skeptical of messages that claim manufactured urgencies. An example is clergy asserts having to make hospital visits to comfort the ill so asks the congregation member as a favor to get cash cards and the like.
• Be skeptical if clergy promises swift repayment at a later date.
• Be skeptical if the sender says not to deliver to a house of worship but rather asks to receive by email or text the redemption pin numbers on purchased gift cards.

Online scams are multiplying. Falling victim to cyber scams always seems to happen to the nicest people, says Jonathan Hauff, a Mamaroneck-based computer advisor and past president of TechEdConnect^SM. Scammers are now increasingly targeting members of religious organizations because scammers know that they are accustomed to making cash donations. While the fake email and texts are still being used to get money, scammers are now using more subtle methods. A faked ‘purchase’ or a ‘refund’ for some item, program, or service that was never made is received, and provide a phone number to call. The number is, of course, the scammer’s, and the con game begins.

Many persons would think national or global scammers wouldn’t have access to the name, email or cell phone/text address of local religious persons. However, that information is posted openly online so seeing a familiar local name in a received email or text is no assurance of authenticity.

Contact lists of entire congregations can be obtained by simply snagging one email from a legitimate email blast from a house of worship since it has all recipient addresses. Also, congregation mailing lists can be hacked where ever stored.

Area New York law enforcement says that, so far, fake emails targeting religious congregations are not a big problem in the Westchester area and most houses of worship keep a low profile on the topic.

However, examples of cleric identity misappropriation abound nationally. Law enforcement publicized complaints from across the country: Grand Rapids MI, Austin TX, Scranton PA, North Mississippi, and Phoenix AZ, for example. State attorney generals in Ohio, Mississippi and Texas have issued alerts about fake scams to collect money or gift cards from those connected to religious organizations.

And fraudsters keep trying. A cleric at a White Plains church earlier this year surprised a worship service with an announcement that fake emails in his name were received by parishioners. Let me assure you that I will never ask for money from you in an email, he said. I will only ask for money in person, which drew chuckles.