Father Bob Bond—Andrews, North Carolina
Teaching Youth About Computers

Father Bob Bond repairs donated computers in his kitchen and then gives them to local families.

Today it is usually the children who teach their elders all about the latest technology. Parents depend on kids to program the VCR and teach them how to log onto the Internet.

But in Andrews, North Carolina, many families do not have the latest technology for their children to master. That’s where computer guru Father Bob Bond, the pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews, comes in.

He takes old computers donated by friends of Glenmary, repairs them and gives them to local families and charities.  He not only sets up the computers but also teaches how to run various computer programs from word processing to math tutorials.

His good work has not gone without notice. He was recently featured in The Andrews Journal for donating four computers and a printer to the local Boys and Girls Club. The Club has an after-school program so children of working parents are in a safe environment until their parents can pick them up.

The children are so eager to use the donated computers that the after-school administrator has had to set up a schedule so all of the children can get a chance, reports Father Bob.

“I put math, reading and spelling programs on the computers,” he explains. “I am hoping the children will get beyond playing games and learn the programs.”  

Those computers that are beyond repair are also put to good use. Father Bob encourages the children to take them apart to learn about the inner workings so they won’t feel intimidated by technology.

In January more computers were sent from Glenmary headquarters and churches in the Cincinnati area to help Father Bob continue his work. Eventually, he hopes to tutor children and help them “earn” a computer.

“I plan to talk to the principals of the elementary schools and, with their help, tutor children who do not know how to use a computer and whose families cannot afford one,” he says.          

In order to “earn” a computer, a child must show that he or she can properly use the programs on it. “I haven’t gotten all of the details worked out, but it will be something along those lines,” he says.

This is not the first time Father Bob has been in the computer business. When he  was a pastor in Hugo, Oklahoma, he began a similar computer program for adults with computers purchased from government surplus. He repaired them and used the computers to tutor adults so they could be competitive in the work force. The adults were also able to “earn” their own computers.

“I don’t like to treat the symptoms but the causes,” Father Bond says. “People today are not going to get a job without computer skills.”

The Andrews and Robbinsville, N.C., missions were turned back to the Diocese of Charlotte in the summer of 2002.

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