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Forty-seven-year-old Lorraine Kerwood confounds expectations. One of eleven children, she grew up under challenging circumstances. Teachers labeled her mentally challenged and assigned her to special education classes. A wide variety of low-paying, blue-collar jobs followed. Yet, when Lorraine returned to school at the prodding of a friend, she became an academic star, eventually graduating magna cum laude from the University of Oregon. During that time, the student once labeled "challenged," taught herself to rebuild computers, which she then gave to people who couldn't afford them. With her new skill set, and her abiding sensitivity to the issues of the disadvantaged, Lorraine established NextStep, a nonprofit computer-recycling center.
One of the central goals of Lorraine's organization is the recycling of computer hardware and other electronics, keeping hazardous waste out of the environment. According to the Institute for Local Self Reliance, nearly seventy-five percent of obsolete electronics are currently being stored, the eventual disposal of which will one day result in an environmental crisis. But Lorraine's recycling efforts do not just benefit the environment. By providing recycled computers to people of less advantaged backgrounds, she is also helping to bridge the digital divide.
NextStep has placed eleven thousand computers in disadvantaged and disabled communities here and abroad. Over five hundred computers have been shipped to rural Guatemalan schools, orphanages, and non-governmental organizations. This has drawn the attention of corporate, government, and academic institutions. Tulane University, for instance, studied NextSteps computer labs built in partnership with rural Mayan communities. Tulane determined that the labs had improved the lives of over five thousand Guatemalan children.
Under Lorraine Kerwood's leadership, NextStep has recycled more than one thousand tons of waste and refurbished over eleven thousand computers and other electronic devices. Most importantly, Lorraine ensures that many disadvantaged children today get the opportunities that she did not have when growing up. Her organization counts among its staff and volunteers many whom social services have had difficulty in placing in the job market due to long-standing prejudices. Lorraine and her organization play a vital role in bridging the digital divide and stripping away unjust labels as she expands opportunities for all.
To learn more about Lorraine Kerwood and her cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit: www.nextsteprecycling.org.
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