Indian Springs Apartment Complex
Indian Springs Apartments is a large low income apartment complex in far south
Broken Arrow. There are 261 apartments, of which roughly 200 are lived in by
single moms and their children. Seniors, people with disabilities, and two
parent households make up the remainder of the tenants. Securing work, and
advancing at work to a better paying position are two major goals of our
tenants. In order to help all tenants, especially those interested in obtaining
employment, management decided to hire a Computer Center Coordinator and open a
Computer Center. As of August 1st the center has four computers, three of which
were donated by Helping Tulsa.
The tenants and staff of Indian Springs Apartments are so grateful for the
donation of three computer systems from Helping Tulsa.
The computers form the basis of our new Computer Center,
and were up and running as of July 15th. When
the computers arrived the tenants became enthused. They have taken ownership of
the center and scrubbed and painted and organized every inch! Tenant
volunteering has always been high at Indian Springs, but now it is phenomenal!
Our program has three prongs: a drop-in lab run by tenant volunteers, computer
lessons taught by staff and RSVP volunteers,
and special programs offered for a limited time.
Computer Drop-In Lab
Monday through Thursday, 1:00-5:00, tenants may stop in and use a computer.
They can jump on the Internet, play games, do homework, research a report, type
a resume, or improve their keyboarding speed. Volunteers are available to
assist with both computer use and homework help.
Computer Lessons
Classes are offered at different times on different days, and are always free.
Beginner level classes are given most often, as most tenants have had limited
exposure to computing. Intermediate and Advanced courses are also taught.
Classes in using the Internet, specific software programs such as Power Point,
and parental monitoring of computer use will be available soon. The plan is to
offer about twenty different courses with most courses finishing within the
space of one week.
Courses currently offered:
- How to Clean Your Computer (2 classes)
- How to Clean Your Printer & Refill Ink Cartridges (2 classes)
- Organize Your Desktop & Start Menu (2 classes)
- Pre-Beginner Level: How to Turn On Your Computer (And Other Hot Dating Tips)
(4 classes)
- So It Is Time to Buy a Computer--What Do All the Numbers on the Side of the
Box Mean? (1 class)
- Take Control of Your Control Panel (3 classes)
- Print Shop--Let's Get Creative! (3 classes)
- Beginner Level (taught through RSVP)
(4 to 9 classes dependent upon ease of learning of each particular class)
Special Programs
"Computers for Families" allows a family living at Indian Springs Apartments the
opportunity to earn a gently used computer. It will include the computer tower,
monitor, keyboard, mouse, and mouse pad. Each child ten years old and older and
each adult in the family are asked to attend five computer lessons of their
choice, and do fourteen hours of volunteer work. By attending classes we know
that the computer system will go home with the family and not sit on a shelf in
the corner of the living room and go unused because they do not know how to
operate it. The provision for volunteer work lets tenants accept a computer
with pride, because they know that they earned it. Also, it enforces the idea
that to get something of value one must work for it.
Coming soon--"Printers for Families" to earn a printer and "Computer Store" for
computer supplies paid for with hours of volunteer work rather than dollars.
Again, the tenants and staff of Indian Springs Apartments thank Helping Tulsa
bring the ISAC Computer Center to life!!
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Click here to contact Don Singleton.