PCs for Peace Seeks Donations of Used, Working PCs
Monday November 4, 5:00 am ET
Donations Accepted Nov 16th and 17th at Two Convenient Bay Area Locations

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 2002--Bay Area residents and companies can become involved in helping to bridge the digital divide for youth in developing countries by donating working computers to the World Computer Exchange (WCE) on Saturday, November 16th and Sunday, November 17th at collection points in Sunnyvale and Mountain View. Individuals and companies all across America have donated thousands of computers to this global educational nonprofit that has connected hundreds of schools to the Internet in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
"PCs for Peace" gives Bay Area residents the opportunity to directly aid the education and global awareness of youth in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. A "PCs for Peace" event last April resulted in the shipment of a 40-foot container of PCs to create computer centers in 75 schools serving 50,000 students in several rural regions of Bangladesh.

Collection points for the event will be open from 10 am to 4 pm on November 16th and 17th at Fry's Electronics at 1077 East Arques Avenue in Sunnyvale and at ABC Storage at 2488 Wyandotte Street in Mountain View. Maps and background information are available at www.pcsforpeace.org. Volunteers will test the equipment, provide receipts for tax deductions, and pack the computers for immediate shipment. It is very important that donated computers and computer peripherals be in good working condition. The Exchange accepts all ranges of Pentium computers but not PC's with 486 processors or earlier. The Exchange also accepts all Macintoshes capable of Internet access.

With the November event Fry's Electonics continues its generous support of the World Computer Exchange and its mission. Joel Byers of Fry's Electronics noted: "Fry's loves the idea that people shopping with us to upgrade their monitors and computers can now donate their old computers to such a good cause and receive a tax deduction as well. We hope that the world will become a safer and better place as children of the US and distant countries get to know each other online."

Richard Gingras, chairman of WCE's Bay Area Chapter added: "It's a sad fact that millions of used, working computers are dumped into US landfills every year. It makes great environmental, economic, and humanitarian sense to give these computers new lives connecting schools that currently have no access to computers or the Internet."

The November "PCs for Peace" event will result in WCE's 15th shipment. In preparation for each container, WCE leverages the resources of businesses, volunteers, and youth community service programs to provide its partners with the network gear, software, consulting, sister-schools, teacher training, and content they need. WCE helps educational institutions in developing countries succeed in preparing their schools, teachers, and students to use the Internet as a bridge to information, resources, educational materials, and opportunities.

Websites:
For more information about the "PCs for Peace" November event please visit www.pcsforpeace.org. For more information about the World Computer Exchange and how you or your company can participate please visit www.worldcomputerexchange.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
World Computer Exchange
Michael Chang, 408/386-5714
(Public Information Volunteer)
mchang@worldcomputerexchange.org