250 computers given away to Fort Bragg families

The olive drab green T-shirts worn by volunteers on Award Day simply said "Geek."

For the fourth year, Kramden Institute Inc., a charitable organization based in Durham, and computer manufacturer Lenovo joined to give away 250 refurbished computers to the children of enlisted men and women stationed at Fort Bragg. Many of their parents are serving in Afghanistan.

On Saturday, Jan. 28, the “Give-A-Thon” was held at the Brig. Gen. William S. McArthur Army Reserve Center on Fort Bragg and marked 1,000 computers donated total to our military families at Fort Bragg.

The donated computers were all refurbished by the Kramden Institute, Inc. in partnership with Lenovo which involved around 200 volunteers from start to finish.

Volunteers from Kramden, Lenovo, Fort Bragg and the community distributed the computers, and demonstrated to students and parents how the machine works, including hardware, software and navigation.

A sixth grader, Amaya Tucker, from showed up with her mom to receive her first computer.

"I can't wait to tell my dad and maybe talk to him online with our new computer," said Tucker, whose mom had lost her job last summer after moving to Fort Bragg when her spouse joined the U.S. Army.

Kramden Institute is a non-profit, charitable institution dedicated to providing less-advantaged students with access to computers to enhance achievement and improve 21st century learning outcomes. Applications and recipients are prioritized and selected to provide military families with school-aged students access to technology to help them achieve their full academic potential.

“The Fort Bragg ACS (Army Community Service) Financial Readiness Program, in partnership with CYSS (Child, Youth and School Services), looks forward to hosting its fourth computer Give-A-Thon,” said Lynn A. Olavarria, program manager for ACS Financial Readiness. “Lenovo and Kramden have provided another wonderful opportunity for our military community to receive refurbished desktop computers at no cost. Our community is very excited, once again, to have another Give-A-Thon event this January.”