The
RECA Foundation has many technology driven programs that improve the quality of life of
low income families, youth, the disabled in our community, and provide technology training
and support to the agencies helping these families. Nickole Evans our youth volunteer
nominee has been instrumental in using her talents and skills to help these agencies get
their message out to the community. To help understand the complexity of the RECA
Foundation programs, below is taken from the October 1, 1998 business section of the
Tri-City Herald, Tri-Cities, Washington, U.S.A.
Group Spreads word on Tri-City life
A Tri-City organization is helping people get into the information age while
promoting the community's quality of life. The Realizing Every Community Asset (RECA)
Foundation's mission is to disseminate information in support of community development,
according to Executive Director Bruce McComb. The organization coordinates community
programs that improve computer access.
"We are especially focused on those who need help getting onto the
information superhighway, such as low-income folks, the disabled, immigrants and anyone
who is new to the computer revolution," McComb said. RECA began in 1992 as a way to
combat inequities in computer access.
In February, RECA representatives were honored by Vice President Al Gore,
members of Congress and business executives in Washington, D.C. The agency was selected as
one of 10 organizations in the United States that had established exemplary
telecommunications links in communities.
One of the best known of RECA's services is the Internet site known as The Columbia
Free-Net (www.tcfn.org) or TCFN. This comprehensive site contains extensive listings of
community resources and services, from employment and economic development to health and
housing. The site is linked to several nonprofit, commercial, civic and government sites
locally, regionally and nationally.
McComb says TCFN is the broadest Mid-Columbia site available and also one of the
most frequently revised. The site is kept current by an extensive network of workers,
including local teenagers funded paid through the Private Industry Council and the
Tri-City Volunteer Center. TCFN provides free Web space for nonprofit organizations and
expertise to help them build and maintain their web sites.
Many Mid-Columbians have benefited from RECA's computer recycling program, which loans
donated computers and software. Human service agencies recommend individuals or
organizations to receive the computers. Businesses and individuals donate computers.
As a nonprofit organization in Washington state, RECA is eligible for free, current
software from Microsoft Corp. "We recently received $150,000 of up-to-date software
from Microsoft and two truckloads of computer components and printers from SAIC,"
McComb said.
RECA provides free Internet e-mail accounts to individuals and small businesses
through Columbia Free-Net.
Six Community Technology Centers in Kennewick and Pasco provide Internet access and
training. According to McComb, these centers have helped people acquire marketable skills
and even led to some new home-based businesses.
People with disabilities have also benefited from RECA's services. RECA has worked with
the Kennewick-based Edith Bishell Center for the Blind and the Richland Lions Club to
provide voice-activated computer systems. The systems enables visually or
mobility-impaired people to communicate using computer technology. "At least two Tri-
Citians are using these systems to make a living through writing," McComb said.
For more information about RECA, contact Bruce McComb at 543- 2910, or lbmccomb@gmail.com,
or visit the Web site at http://www.tcfn.org. This column on Tri-Cities
diversification and entrepreneurial efforts appears monthly in the Herald. Nickole
Evans - RECA Foundation's Youth Nomination Activity: Describe nominee's volunteer
service(s). Nickole Evans, a 14 year old, 8th grader at Park Middle School, Kennewick, has
volunteered over 500 hours during 1997-8. This is in addition to her 3 years honor
role status and activities including 3 years in Band, 2 years in Jazz Band, 2 years
in Dance Team, 2 years in Basketball, 3 years in Natural Helpers, 8+ years in Girl Scouts,
1 year in Yearbook, and Journalism.
She has won numerous awards for her artwork, published locally in the Tri-City Herald
Kidzone, internationally in the Junior Summit Junior Journal, and nationally in Girls Life
Magazine. She has donated her artwork and graphics to non-profit agencies.
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Nickole
has taken her love of helping people and used her talents in art and computers to help
recruit volunteers, explain programs, and show other youth how to help the community.
Please see her personal web page for a visual of her work http://www.tcfn.org/nickole and
Youth Speak Out http://www.tcfn.org/jrsummit/inteam.html the interactive web page to
motivate other kids to help their communities. Need: Describe need for nominee's
service(s). Nationally and locally there is a tremendous shortage of qualified
applicants for computer jobs. Even of more importance is the lack of young women choosing
technology for their careers. Nickole's computer graphics and web pages have shown young
women worldwide how these skills can help the community. Nickole's "Youth Speak
Out" web page takes web pages to another level, allowing youth to make
recommendations on how to improve their communities.
Action: Was nominee active, founder, figurehead? Explain.
Nickole Evans designed the above graphics and web page to encourage youth to get involved
in community and world issues through the use of computers and the Internet. Each of
these pages takes an issue such as the first one, race relations and gives an example of
how a youth could improve this in the community. The topics include World Religions,
Education, Rich vs Poor, Solutions, Disabilities, Environment, World Violence, Over
Population and Questions. For six months, with over 4000 e-mails, Nickole has been
working with kids from Junior Summit 98, 133 countries, 16 different languages to come up
with projects to make the world a better place for all children. On an international level
Nickole is dealing with child abuse, child laborers, war, ecology, technology access, etc.
Some of their projects include an International magazine.. Junior Journal, a Junior Summit
Resource Bank, KidzBank, Thin Computing, all connected in their homes or schools through
the wonders of technology. See Nickole's web page
http://www.tcfn.org/jrsummit/inteam.html for more information.
Initiative: Did nominee start new program, use new methods to solve problems, initiate
activities, promote collaboration with other organizations? Explain.
For 8+ years Nickole has been an active member of Girl Scouts and has consistently
volunteered her time and energy to help others. Over the years she has averaged 20 hours a
month.. Colleen Drinkard, Executive
Director of the Volunteer Center provided placement assistance for youth volunteers during
summer 1998. Nickole volunteered for the Arc of the Tri-Cities as a counselor for a summer
camp, read to children for the Reading Foundation, played games with the
elderly, stocked shelves for the Food Bank, and was an assistant at a weeklong day camp
for Girl Scouts. In addition Nickole was part of a team of six other young women to make
web pages the RECA Foundation. Each was trained to develop web pages and together they
developed the Volunteer Center Youth Program web page. Nickole developed the graphics and
web page layout for the Youth Volunteer Center Program and the ARC of the Tri-Cities
Partners and Pals program, seen below.
Nickole Evans - RECA Foundation's Youth Nomination: When school started in the fall
this didn't stop her volunteer involvement. In her third year as a Natural Helper
she assisted Mary Padgett, Middle School Counselor on training and being a role model for
6th and 7th grade students. The Natural Helper program identifies those kids in 6th grade
that other kids would tell their problems to. Once selected by their classmates they are
trained on active listening and knowing when to send a kid to a counselor.
During her Winter Vacation Nickole spent time writing a review of her Junior Summit 98
experiences for the Tri-City Herald. Her article reflects the recent Bosnian immigrants to
our community. This article was published on Martin Luther King Day to help show kids how
to accept diversity into our community.
Achievement: Did nominee accomplish desired results? Explain: Nickole's volunteer
service keeps on giving through being available on the World Wide Web, 24 hours a day,
indefinitely. Of special note the Volunteer Centers Youth web page is being
used around the United States as a model to show youth what jobs could be available in
their communities. The "Youth Speak Out" web page continues to encourage youth
to identify community problems and do something about them.
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