Craig Clark is a good neighbor to have.
After retiring from managing a convenience store chain, he became a computer technician. That’s when he came up with the idea of providing laptops to those who couldn’t afford them.
Clark, a native of Sarasota, Florida, became known as the “Technology Fairy.”
“I have no memory of why or how I presented myself like (that),” he told NPR. “People would give me their old computers when they bought a new one and I would fix them and find someone to give them to.”
He started eight years ago and has helped hundreds of people – with photos to prove it.
“Out of the 700 photos, there are a lot of convenience store workers, a lot of fast food workers, people I know work for minimum wage and probably can’t afford a $1,200 laptop.”
This 79-year-old man works alone. Clark’s office has shelves full of computers. Some laptops are opened, revealing their green motherboards.
The laptops are all donations. It replaces parts that aren’t working and adds a new hard drive to each computer, at no cost to recipients.
“I couldn’t do this without the generous donations I receive,” he says. “I give away about eight or nine a month…there’s probably 500 laptops (here). So, there’s $20,000 there.”
Craig Clark donated a laptop to Chris Roberts (pictured here) for use at university.
Craig Clark
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Craig Clark
And Clark says that while Tech Fairy’s costs of refurbishing donated laptops continue to rise, the value to recipients can be life-changing.
One example: A server at Clark’s favorite restaurant accepted one of the refurbished laptops.
“He came over and said, ‘Craig, I just want you to know that last week I received two $6,000 scholarships from my university that I never would have known about if I didn’t have this laptop.’
Clark looks beyond familiar faces when choosing potential recipients for his tech gifts. When shopping at second-hand stores, for example, Clark walks toward people who might be checking out a used laptop, but who won’t go so far as to buy it.
He even worked a little on a script.
“So I’ll say something like, ‘I noticed you were looking at a computer, but you didn’t pick it up.'”
Then Clark tells them about his refurbished laptops and “shows them the people I’ve given computers to and then they’re convinced I’m real.”
Craig Clark is a one-man business. His office has racks of computers that need to be refurbished and others ready to be donated.
Craig Clark
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Craig Clark
Clark plans to continue granting his wishes, one refurbished laptop at a time.
“I never had a plan,” he says. “It’s just something that happened and kind of blew up under me. But I’m so glad it did.”
“I love fixing computers and watching people smile.”
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