If you've tried turning an electronic device off and back on again or control-alt-deleted a computer issue to no avail, there's a good chance a duo in Bloomington-Normal can help.
For nearly two years, Eric Smith, an IT professional who can trace his interest in computers back to the Commodore 64, has offered his technical expertise to anyone in need via what's called the Free Community Computer Clinic.
"If people ... want to move things over from one computer to another computer, we're here for them. If you have a computer that has a broken screen, we're here for you. You need a battery changed out? We're here for you," Smith said in an interview for WGLT's Sound Ideas. "Pretty much anything you need, even how to do [Microsoft] Office or other programs, we could either walk you through it or point you to the right direction."
Each Tuesday, Smith sets up shop in the cafe of Panera Bread in Normal, or in a room in either Bloomington or Normal's public library. For a few hours, anyone is welcome to drop by and bring their questions or their devices for help that is almost always provided for free — with the rare exception likely being related to an equipment cost of some sort.
It's an altruistic offer, but it's also something that helps Smith continue doing the kind of work he enjoys after a career of contracting for companies like State Farm, Caterpillar and Mitsubishi and overseeing a 300-computer data center in Pontiac.
Three years ago, Smith said, he suffered a stroke that left him with a disability and unable to work full time. In a way, creating the clinics gave him a part-time job.
"It keeps my brain active. ...I'm disabled, but my brain is 100% there. It's just the enjoyment to see people learning, understanding and realizing they didn't lose a computer or they didn't lose their pictures — it's that point of 'thank you' that's really the point we're looking for," he said.
Smith could have organized the clinics in such a way that people brought their devices and left them, returning only to pick them up after repairs or other work was completed. But that's not what he envisioned when he considered what he could offer the community.
"We do it in a way where we sit with people and have that communication — even if we're not talking about computers, we have that communication," he said. "We're here to answer questions. Most things usually take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes ... it's not a long process. At other places, [that's] $50 an hour. But you give us your time, we give our time to you."
On average, the clinics draw between 6-12 people. The volume was enough for Smith to bring on 21-year-old Tyler McDermeit, whom he'd met at Heartland Community College.
Like Smith, who started with the Commodore 64 at a young age before taking computer science courses at University of Illinois-Chicago as a high school freshman, McDermeit also found his knack for technical problem-solving early.
"I was always, in class, the person that the teachers would say, 'See if he could fix it,' and a lot of the time I was able to," McDermeit said. "I've always had a special thing with computers."
Many of the people who drop by the clinics skew older, seeking help for anything from setting up a Facebook account to removing a hard drive or fixing a broken screen. For McDermeit, figuring out how to plainly describe the work he's doing to people who don't have his kind of knowledge is part of the fun.
"If I tell somebody who barely knows how to open the computer what a [central processing unit] is, they're not going to understand. But if I say it's like the brain, it's what makes everything, it's the thought process and being able to coordinate your body to do things, then they understand because that's something that they know," he said. "Being able to do that is very fun."
Of course, not everyone who seeks the help of Smith or McDermeit is of what Smith calls "the retirement generation": Some are college students on a budget. Others need someone to understand what they really need, like a father who came to a clinic with a broken screen.
Smith said he told the man it would be more worthwhile to buy a new unit entirely, but the man protested. His son had autism, he told Smith, and this was his computer and he only wanted his computer — it had to be that one.
"I understand that because I'm the father of an autistic child. So we got everything set back up, made sure there were no other problems, and we [saw] the smile when he got his computer back — because he knew it was broken. He thought it was lost forever," Smith said. "It was just such pride we felt that we were able to take a smashed computer, get it back together and give it to someone. Both me and Tyler worked on that together."
Smith and McDermeit also take donations, removing the hard drives of whatever they receive and replacing them before making sure the devices [are] where they're needed most. Largely, Smith said, donations have gone to children with some going to older adults who can't afford a computer of their own.
"We do have a list right now that's backing up because we haven't received many donations since August, but we're expecting to receive donations again after Christmas — that's our largest donation time and that's our busiest time of transferring data from one computer to another computer," he said. "It's a fun time for both me and Tyler. We have other technicians that have moved in and moved out, but this something we will keep on doing and keep on advertising."
The clinics are held each Tuesday afternoon and evening at alternating locations; updates are published by Smith in the Bloomington-Normal Facebook group 'The WITT Corporation.'
Every so often on WGLT, we feature community servants and unsung heroes working to make Bloomington-Normal a better place to live. If you have a suggestion for a More of That Please feature, you can email us at news@wglt.org.
