“This was the kind of request that makes you glad to be a part of the local citizenship committee,” says Lynda Dowding, an admin/tech program assistant at Pre-Sales in Vancouver and co-chair of the Richmond Citizenship Committee.
Lynda has been with HP Canada for 18 years, and has served on the local citizenship committee for the past several years. When the chair stepped down in March, she agreed to assume the position.
“I was nervous about it at first, but after one meeting, I was fine,” she laughs. “It’s rewarding volunteer work and really interesting as well. And when you see the difference that HP Canada’s donations are making, it’s all the more gratifying.”
The donation to Frank Hurt School is a perfect example.
The project was initiated by Gurpreet Dosanjh, a co-op student from the University of British Columbia who’s been working in HP’s Vancouver office. Gurpreet is himself a graduate of Frank Hurt Secondary and he has a cousin who is enrolled in the LifeSkillls Special Needs program at the school. When Gurpreet heard about HP’s product matching program, he asked Lynda if the company could donate a printer to replace the program’s 12 year-old boat anchor.
The program caught Lynda’s interest and she suggested Gurpreet take it one step further by asking the school to submit an application for a range of equipment.
The letter from Dave Heskin, a teacher and department head at the school, was compelling. The LifeSkillls Special Needs class has 23 students with varying disabilities that include visual and hearing impairments, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, and ADHD. Three teachers and 14 special education assistants work with the students. As Heskin noted in his letter, the computer technology component of the program had ground to a halt because of hardware that included the 12 year-old printer and an ancient PC.
“As soon as I read his letter, I realized that they were ideal candidates for an equipment donation,” says Lynda. “Our committee was meeting that week so we were able to put this project together quickly.”
The committee approved a package that included five PCs, an all-in-one fax/scanner/ printer, and a digital camera. The equipment was delivered early in May, with Gurpreet personally supervising the set-up. A month later, Lynda and Gurpreet visited the class to see the results.
“When we got there, the learning assistants were just off-the-wall excited,” says Lynda. “They told us, ‘You have no idea how much this helps us and the students,’ and we could see it ourselves. They were having fun and learning at the same time. They presented us with a beautiful thank you card, made by one of the students and signed by everyone.”
Today, the students are using their new PCs for online research and educational, adaptive and communication software. They’re also using the PCs for their Language Arts program’s media software and email applications.
”We don’t have a music program any more, so we are implementing a comprehensive computer science program this year,” says the school’s Dave Heskin. “The computers are a huge asset to us, because they help us give the students independence and team work skills that they will continue to use when they leave the school. Our staff is also using the equipment to create schedules and track individual education programs. We are so appreciative.”
The satisfaction was indeed mutual as noted by Lynda and Gurpreet, “This is a great example of those occasional chances you get to really make a difference in someone’s life,” says Lynda. “Even if your role is just helping to make it happen, it is such a rewarding experience.”
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