Profit margins are almost nonexistent for the commercial refurbishment of used computers; therefore any large scale refurbishment program should be non-profit and thus rely upon the volunteer efforts of others. To this end the Purple Elephant Computer Factory for KIDS! is a “clearing house”, the “middle man”, that accepts donations of both funds and computers. Funds are used to pay operating costs and the computers are refurbished using both employee and volunteer labor. Although the computers are not sold, a donation is requested from the sponsoring organization to cover part of the refurbishment costs and the end users receive a free, “out-of-the-box” working computer.

Our current emphasis is to provide computers to qualified individuals and organizations. These include at risk, economically disadvantaged, or disabled individuals and the organizations that serve these communities.

Purple Elephant Computer Factory for KIDS! would not be possible without the support of many organizations and individuals. We gratefully acknowledge the early assistance and support of Triangle United Way. Our workspace would not be possible without the generous and continued support of Goodwill Community Foundation. SAS has provided work stations, equipment, and other support. All have assisted us in locating sources of computers. Other companies and individuals are providing computers and support. Because of your gifts in kind we are growing beyond our wildest expectations. Thank you all!

Finally, as a new non-profit, we are growing faster than our funding. To handle the volume of computers available, we need to hire staff and train instructors. Our main source of funds to date are $30,500 in grants and a $30,000 loan. We need to raise at least $50,000 immediately.

We are planning a Capital Campaign, a Fund Raiser, and a Planned Giving Program for 2007 - 2008 but our needs are immediate.

Sincerely,
Dave Hinton, Director