Making a difference at Triune
The old computers sit stacked together in the corner of a third-floor room in the Triune Mercy Center — a variety of makes and models, bulky, but most importantly, outdated.
By the time they came to Triune, they were already old, some by as much as 10 years now.
The job-seekers and those looking to earn a GED at the downtown Greenville homeless ministry were using technology that couldn't help them craft a modern resume — or even reliably connect to the internet.
These computers have outlived their usefulness.
A few rooms over, another room — the computer room — is buzzing with activity, as employees of The Greenville News and their families are busy painting the dull wood-paneled walls a brighter yellow.
The room will be home to six new Dell computers, with all the latest software.
The work is part of Make A Difference Day, an event sponsored by Gannett Corp. – owner of The News and parent publication USA TODAY – in collaboration with the Points Of Light national volunteer service organization.
The 20 or so News volunteers were part of millions across the country taking part in the event, now in its 22nd year.
Gannett contributed $5,000 to buy computers and chairs.
Triune — a non-denominational church on Rutherford Street and W. Stone Avenue — serves the homeless from their states of crisis into the next steps of rebuilding their lives
Part of that rebuilding is helping them find jobs.
It's more difficult to reach that goal when there wasn't a reliable internet connection or a computer couldn't connect to a modern printer, said Pat Parker, the center's associate director and employment specialist.
There hasn't been access to Microsoft Office, a program employers will expect some job-seekers to use, she said.
"In the last few years, we've had problems because the computers are outdated, and we didn't have the programs on it that were needed," Parker said. "Even if they went into a job, we couldn't train them in a particular program that's commonly used."
The News' effort is but a fraction of the countless hours of volunteer work done in the Upstate not just done on a bookmarked day.
And Triune was buzzing with volunteers doing other work, as they do every day — today working up a sweat moving racks upon racks of clothes downstairs to shift from having a clothing cattle call to dealing with the homeless more individually.
Nevertheless, effort to upgrade the computer room marks an emerging point in the evolution of how the newspaper serves the public, said Lyn Riddle, an investigative reporter for The News who tackled the homelessness issue through an ongoing series that began as an inside look at the homeless camp Tent City.
Greenville has the second-highest population of homeless in the state.
It's important for the organization to note, to get word out that the human resources working to serve the balance of readers, the Fourth Estate and shareholders will be in a more hands-on role moving forward.
It used to be that reporters wrote the stories and kept the subject matter at an arm's length, Riddle said, but the organization has redefined its role, turning reporters and editors out as public ambassadors.
When coordinating the work for Make A Difference Day, Riddle said the homeless cause came naturally.
Triune is on the very front line.
"It was an easy jump, basically, when wanted to give back, beyond just letting the public know what's happening here, when we actually wanted to go into the community ourselves to help our neighbors. The people who really need it have the latest and greatest technology — and a great room to sit in."
