CyberLynx
CyberLynx is a small non-profit that works on Oregon’s south coast to make technology more accessible to more people. As a starting point CyberLynx teaches people to use computers. Of course the use that computers are most put to internet access. Children and Grandchildren who want to exchange e-mail with our clients are our greatest allies.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s there was a lot of concern about the “digital divide.” The cost of personal computers was much higher in relation to income in those days and the proportion of various demographics who possessed computers was greatly variable. There was a perception that significant benefits accrued to those with computers and even more with internet access. Internet access was not as generally available then, most places you had to make a long distance phone call to log on to a dial-up connection.
OPAC
I was lucky enough to have been appointed to the Governor’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council. To support this state-wide body, OSU Sea Grant set up an internet service OPAC members could access with a toll free call. During the first year, I made more calls to the server that the other 22 membets combined. I was thus able to learn a great deal about the internet.
When an Internet Service Provider in Brookings started to expand up the coast, I was able to weedle them into establishing an access point that was a local call from Bandon. At about the same time the Business Development Center at the Community College in Coos Bay obtained a high speed link to the internet and set up a classroom that shared the connection on 6 student computers and one instructor computer. For a number of years a majority of those in Coos County who had ever been “on the internet” had their experience in that computer classroom with me as their instructor.
When CJ O’Connor, a consultant to the Educational Service District, decided to form a non-profit to work with the ESD to establish a Community Technology Center, she contacted me to help her since I was computer literate and had set up a non profit and obtained tax exempt status for it. I was able to do the same for the organization that became CyberLynx. CJ was President and I Treasurer with various VPs and Secretaries for a number of years.
ITEACH
CJ developed respiratory problems and decided to move to Arizona and left CyberLynx in my care. I kept up the reports to retain the corporate status and 501(c}{3) for a few years and then had a chance to collaborate with the school districts in Bandon, Coquille and Powers in implementing a grant from the Ford Family Foundation. The Superintendants of the school districts and the Community Services Officer for the City of Coquille joined me on the board of CyberLynx while ITEACH engaged in community capacity building in the 3 towns.
Library
When ITEACH was over, CyberLynx became dormant again until the Bandon Public Library contacted me with a request to teach some computer classes at the library to help people make better use of the public access computers. I agreed to help through the winter only because in the spring, I would not have time due to my dedication to my other non-proit Shoreline Education for Awareness.
At my first class, a miracle happened. A volunteer came forward and offered to help me with the classes. Maureen Haggerty is now Executive Director and has been able to recruit 2 additional volunteers. She has also organized the effort and prepared handouts and designed sign-up methods and negotiated with the library staff to help with the reservations.
FreeGeek
Because some users have not been good guests and have hacked into the library system, the public access computers are allowed only very limited capabilities. Since one of the purposes of the classes is to help the clients to make better use of computers at home CyberLynx perceived a need to set up a classroom of our own computers on which more extensive capabilities could be allowed. FreeGeek, a non profit computer recycling organization in Portland granted CyberLynx 5 refurbished computers.
Heritage Place
Heritage Place, an assisted living facility in Bandon owned by the Coquille Indian Tribe agreed to allow CyberLynx to share the Day Room to serve as a classroom a few hours per week. Heritage Place allowed CyberLynx to use their internet connection and set up a wireless network for the 5 computers.
Tech Soup
The computers came from FreeGeek with a Linux operating system but most of the clients have Microsoft Windows on their home computers. To simplify the transfer of knowledge and make the hands-on lab more like the library public access computers, CyberLynx obtained Windows and Microsoft Office software from TechSoup and installed it on the computers. Then CyberLynx obtained a Cisco wireless router and wireless interface cards from TechSoup to set up the network to distribute the internet access to the 5 computers and the instructor’s laptop used project classroom materials onto the wall during classes. The library allows CyberLynx to use their digital projector both for the classes in the library and at Heritage Place.
Ford Family Foundation
The Executive Director is now preparing a Capacity Building Grant request to the Ford Family Foundation to purchase some furniture, better monitors and a digital projector to enhance the classroom.
