Thanks, Bill Gates, for the MAR Program

We, People's Resource Center, were informed today of our acceptance as a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher. We want to thank you and everyone at Microsoft that played a role in making it happen. We have felt a need for such a program for over three years.

I have no idea whether this email will reach you - but I hope it does. Nor do I know if our attempts over these past years had anything to do with Microsoft's introduction of the MAR program. What I do know is that this program will remove the major obstacle we've been encountering in our attempts to bridge the digital divide.

Tomorrow we will stop loading refurbished computers with Linux, we will place our first order for 300 MAR Windows 98 licenses, and start planning to serve all our clients exclusively with Windows. Recalling almost 1,000 computers will be a difficult, yet pleasant, task. The challenge of trying to teach both Windows and Linux at our eleven training sites and to support clients with non-standard software on their personal computers almost exhausted our energies and resources. Now we can move forward with a single operating system.

On behalf of all of the hospitals, businesses, organizations, governmental agencies, and individuals who have donated computer equipment, and on behalf of the hundreds of volunteer professionals who have taught or supported the refurbishing effort, and on behalf of the 3,000 low-income households that have come to us for assistance I would like to offer our sincere thanks for the MAR program.

Finally, I would like to invite you to visit the People's Resource Center in Wheaton, Illinois. There are many community leaders that would like to thank you personally for initiating the MAR program and would enjoy giving you a view of an effective way refurbished technology can empower individuals and families, otherwise isolated by poverty.