We have many dedicated volunteers here at CTN. One of our volunteers, Andy Lau, is definitely a favorite at the Richmond Senior Center. He converses with the elderly in English as well as Cantonese. He decided to start volunteering at the Richmond Senior Center because he lived nearby and thought it would be a good way to connect with the community after recently moving to the city from Hawaii. “I was relatively new here, so it was a way of making a home. I met a lot of good people here. Everyone at CTN has been really supportive and it’s fun helping these guys learn about the Internet.” Andy helps our seniors learn basic computer skills as well as refining the skills they already have. He also helps with technical support in the computer lab.
I asked Andy what he likes the most about volunteering for CTN. “I remember showing this lady how to use Google maps street view, and it blew her mind. She hadn’t been home for 20-something years, and it was like having her visit home without making an actual trip.” It’s moments like these that have kept him volunteering for the past ten months while also working full time as an architect. When he isn’t busy working or volunteering at CTN, Andy enjoys rock climbing all around the Bay Area. If you want to become an awesome volunteer like Andy, or if you know of any seniors that want to work on their computer skills, tell them about our Richmond Senior Center!
Michelle is a service learning student from the University of San Francisco and has been serving as a CTN volunteer for the Fall 2013 semester. This post was written as a part of her service learning experience. CTN is a community partner with USF and provides service learning experiences for undergraduate students in our digital literacy work. To learn more about the service learning program, read this blog post: Service Learning Through Technology Training.
