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The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) center in the Northway Mall in Anchorage opened in May 1998. At the grand opening they debuted a 6-station computer lab sponsored by the Alaska Computer Society, at that time noted to be the first AARP center partnership of its kind in the U.S. This computer lab was borne from a partnership between informal computer clubs in Anchorage, Alaska. The Alaska Computer Society, working with a birthing computer club at the Anchorage Senior Center, brought together several individuals who would later build the foundation for this program. When some of the seniors from the computer club succeeded in their efforts to bring an AARP center to Anchorage, they remembered the involvement of the Alaska Computer Society in their earlier club and invited ACS to share some of the space in the AARP facility.
In the beginning, this space was only intended to be a “resource center” for the Alaska Computer Society. An ACS board member identified some surplus machines he could have donated, and another ACS board member volunteered to set-up and manage the hardware once it was donated. The AARP leaders thought this was a grand idea, and so the AARP computer training facility was born. An agreement was prepared and approved by the national AARP association. In mid-1999, AARP purchased internet connectivity for the computers. Microsoft donated copies of Windows 95, Microsoft Works, and Microsoft Office for the lab.
Howard Bonar, an ACS board member and also a “retired” person, manages the upgrading and maintenance of the computers. He also provides on-going support for the AARP office computers. There are currently six volunteer instructors for the AARP computer training center, many of them retired members of the AARP Sourdough Chapter. These instructors are able to share their computer interests with fellow retirees and find fulfillment in the role of trainer. Fletcher Fuller is coordinator for computer training. There are 15 classes offered on a variety of topics, including basic computer use, Microsoft Word, using the Internet, and writing web pages. Fletcher carefully monitors the courses to be sure the quality is consistent, helps the instructors hone their teaching skills, and assures instruction is well-paced for the audience. There are more than 80 individuals trained per month at the center. An $8 national and $3 local AARP membership is required. The classes are free. Individuals need only be 50 years old to be eligible for AARP membership.
The program has a large waiting list for the courses, and AARP is considering expanding their facility to accommodate this program, which was not considered when the original space planning took place. Howard Bonar, the ACS board member responsible for maintenance of the computers, has been nominated by the AARP Sourdough Chapter for a national Outstanding Service award from the AARP organization.
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