Reglue Annual Fundraiser Up & Running

It should come as little surprise to most that Reglue is just about our favorite nonprofit Linux project. This would be true even if the organization’s founder and executive director wasn’t also our own fun-to-read columnist, Ken Starks. After all, what’s not to like about an organization that collects old, worn Windows boxes, fixes them up until they’re practically new again, and finds them homes with school kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a computer? Along the way, those Windows machines become Linux machines, which helps break the vendor lock-in which Redmond tries to create in the minds of American school children.

Of course, sometimes Reglue finds itself battling vendor lock-in which has infected the minds of adult educators who should know better — but that’s another story entirely.

Yesterday, Reglue began its annual fundraising effort to raise money needed to keep the project on track, using the services of Indiegogo to manage the campaign. The goal? Starks says that $9,000 will fund operations for a year, but he’s hoping to raise $18,000 because the Reglue truck, Ken’s old Ford Explorer, has seen better days and most likely won’t make it through the year. In other words, nine grand will do but double that will do better.

For the record, Reglue is a bonefide 501(c)(3) organization, meaning all donations are completely tax deductible.

So what does Ken and the rest of the crew at Reglue plan to do with the money? According to the Indiegogo page:

“…over the next year, we will place 200 computers into the homes of kids who cannot afford one. We also help our Reglue Kids get online by paying for the first 90 days of internet connection. This gives them time to budget for the expense of having the internet available in their homes. As overused as the term is, the Digital Divide is alive and well in some parts of America. We will bridge that divide where we can.”

What’s cool is that Starks and his team have this fundraiser set-up to be fun. It’s sort of like a shopping spree, with the proceeds going to put technology in the hands of schoolkids who otherwise would be doing without.

It’s a real swagfest — and more.

For example, a mere $10 buys you a DRM free ebook of Thomas A. Knight’s fantasy novel, “The Time Weaver Chronicles,” in any one of three formats (Kindle, ePub or PDF). If that doesn’t trip your trigger, you can triple-down and pony up a $30 donation for a high quality Tux plush penguin. Don’t want the stuffed plush? No problem. The Reglue folks will give it to one of the “Reglue kids” in your name.

It’s a lot like the old Fleetwood Mac song — except with Reglue we’re singing, “You make loving giving fun.”

There are plenty of other deals to make your donation more personally fruitful. You might even get something you need while helping Ken’s organization help the “Reglue Kids.” Do you need a laptop? How about a factory refurbished Acer Chromebook with 4 GB RAM and a 320 GB hard drive, complete with free shipping to USA destinations? It’s yours with a $225 donation. Or how about a Lenovo Thinkpad T-420 with 12 GB RAM and a 320 GB hard drive for a $350 donation? Cool beans, eh?

There’s more — just check out the Reglue Indiegogo campaign page.

But we need to get the ball rolling. The 45 day campaign started yesterday and so far it’s raised only $90, which is only one percent of the goal — a mere drop in the bucket. Let’s dig into our pockets and throw some bucks Reglue’s way.

Ken and his crew will take your money and use it to help kids break the chains of poverty through education. As Ken likes to explain, the Reglue Kids represent the generation that will cure cancer and put a colony on Mars. Let’s help these kids get started by being the generation that removes some of the roadblocks holding them back.