Tech Woes show need for Stimulus Funds

For the past three weeks Cabrini Connections has had major problems with our internet and internal computer network. Vjeko wrote about last week's problem on his blog.

This week we had a power outage on Sunday that burned out the hard drive on our server (we think). We've not had access to internal shared files or the Internet since Monday (today is Wednesday). If this happened in most companies, the IT department would have the tools and talent to fix this quickly. In fact, such problems might not have occurred because of preventative steps taken.

While we have a creative technology strategy to connect our kids and volunteers with each other and the world of learning and problem solving that is open to them via technology, we don't have adequate funds to cover all of our other expenses, and the additional cost of professional IT support.

It would cost of $300 per month for a service contract to have IT support 24 hours a day. That's $3,600 per year. Business hosting solutions cost as much as $200 or more a month. We're paying $50 a month to the company hosting our Cabrini Connections, SVHATS and Tutor/Mentor Institute sites.

You get what you pay for (or don't pay for).

It's important to have regular tech support, but it's even more important to pay staff salaries, rent, insurance, electric bills, and other expenses that we also have each month. Especially as we face the potential of reduced revenue from fund raising due to the impact of the economy on donors.

We've been able to get by with volunteers, and with the knowledge our IT coordinator can bring. But some of this is beyond what our volunteers and staff can support.

That's why your help is so important. There are more than 5 million adults working in the Chicago area. Our donor list is under one thousand people each year. Thus, there are thousands of people who have never been asked to make a donation, who might give $50 or $100, or even more. If your current and veteran volunteers , and student, tell the story of how they have been involved, these people will get to know us, and some will make the donations needed to cover the costs of making this program available to kids and volunteers.

We do events throughout the year, such as the Golf Benefit in July, the Dinner in June and the Art Festival in April. These give people an opportunity to make sponsor donations of $100 to $5,000 which add up to quite a bit of revenue throughout the year.

You can even make donations through workplace fund raising at your school, government office, or company. Here's a list of other ways to help.

Please tell your friends about what we do and how they can help. You don't need to be in Chicago to be part of the network supporting groups like ours helping inner city kids.