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Stories & Inspiration

Read below to see all the amazing ways the Mozilla community shared, gave, engaged, created, and collaborated during the week of September 14-21, 2009, by using the Internet to make a difference in people's lives.

People from all over came together to make a difference in their local community, and helped fellow public benefit organizations gain from the open Web. Thank you for taking part in Mozilla Service Week. Thank you for joining the cause - you made a difference.

Tom Bradley Elementary School, LAUSD, Monday 14

By Kenneth Wyrick Yesterday I went onto the playground during recess time with my Indamixx portable studio and recorded some 5 or so little boys doing human beat box with their hands up to their mouths.

I went to the office and the principal was not available so i spent 45 minute talking with the man who runs the reprographics for the school. He asked me about which Internet service he should get at home. He said he uses AT&T so I told him that's where he needs to start. He should be able to get DSL service and they should send him a modem and filters which he should get a rebate for so he does not have to pay for the equipment.

He asked me what a modem is, so I explained, that the standard analog phone uses over a 100 tones to transmit our voice over the phone wires and the modem modulates and de-modulates the tones to digital, which is binary, the system that the computer produces and understands. He asked about the filters and how long they last? I told him they last for years and typically do not need to get replaced. That the filters come with the modem and that he will need to go around the house and put a filter on each analog/voice line he has because when they activate the service they will change his line from analog to digital.

We then talked about the 8 LiveCD/DVDs kit for the school to provide Open Source Software operating systems and applications to run on computers in the computer lab and on several computers they have sitting around that do not work. Related Link

Helping Rotarians on Social Networks

By Don Higgins I'n helping Rotarains around the world of all ages to learn how to use social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn to promote service and fellowship. :
Related Link

Relocalizing Massachusetts & Transitioning MCHC to Drupal

By Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities Our ideal match would be to find a local web developer who is proficient in Drupal, and looking for a way to volunteer for an important cause.

The Mass. Coalition for Healthy Communities is working to defend and strengthen the social, economic, environmental, and democratic foundations of healthy communities. We are advancing cross-cutting, holistic solutions to multifaceted and interconnected crises. We are part of an emerging grassroots movement to transition to the the healthy, just, and sustainable future that is within reach... and we need to harness the democratizing power of Web 2.0 and beyond to make the connections and build communities based on cooperation, justice, and sustainability.

Help transition Massachusetts to a secure green future, and help transition MCHC's website to Drupal so that we can better advocate a relocalized Massachusetts. Related Link

Running logistics for technology classes in New York

By Ben Combee I work with a group called HTINK that teaches low-cost classes in New York City related to technology. This week, we're doing two classes, one on bioelectricity and one on clockwork mechanisms. The first class went very well, with the group making a bunch of low-cost ECG machines using sensors and laptops. The second class was also great, with a clock expert showing off old mechanism and explaining how clocks through history work. Related Link

Help our Neighborhood Association update it's website

By Dace Zeps I inherited a web site that was created with iWeb and is housed on godaddy. I am a pc and dreamweaver ftping kinda gal.

I need someone to take the site that I currently have and give it back to me in a manner I can easily train people to update.

Thanks, Dace Related Link

Using video and the internet to give world's poorest a voice

By Danny I formulated the concept of Hillside Digital (HD) with the aim of harnessing the power of the Internet and new media as a sustainable platform for the world's poorest communities to tell their own stories. HD trains candidates, no matter their education, how to use digital film to highlight issues affecting their community which is then shown to their community on portable projectors. The films are then put on the internet for the world to watch. HD is born in South Africa but has a global vision to become the voice of the world's poorest people. Related Link

Tu Pulgarcito Foundation.

By Marvin Tu Pulgarcito foundation is an organization that is focus in helping the poor children of El Salvador. Our mission is to bring assistance to the kids that needed the most in different ways, such as monetary, educational and motivational. After visiting El Salvador, we found that there are thousands of poor kids in the streets of San Salvador city. Our goal is to bring them a hope of assistance, not only by supporting them economically, but also finding other ways such as education and recreational activities. We have found young girls, between the ages of five to sixteen years old, asking for money, at stop lights during traffic times and during school hours, instead of being at school, as what a normal kid their age is doing at that giving moment. We have also learned, that these girls are being forced to beg in the streets, by their parents, as a way to bring a daily income. Tu Pulgarcito, is taking action to helping these kids in El Salvador and we are committed in helping these kids to better themselves, by giving them an opportunity to attend school and give them tools to build a better future for themselves. All of this can be possible, if we have a multitude of contributors, monetary donations, technology contribution as website and marketing assistance to spread the word around and have our message travel as quick as possible, this will help in building more projects and assistance to these poor kids. Everyone has a TuPulgarcito in them, let's make our presence count! Related Link

Greneteam creating many gardens for the Community

By Patis Patio I'm creating gardens on Havendale Blvd. One box at a time.Feeding the hungry Fresh food . Teaching the churches,Boys clubs and condo dwellers this technique.The Planning and Planting has begun.Loads of research on Mozilla has helped push this forward.I would love to return the help..Pati's Patio Related Link

An opportunity to serve others

By pious ali every year in Ramadan I bring muslim youth from around Portland to do a once a week volunteer at the Soup Preble street soup kitchen. I hope that by doing this they will fulfill one of the values of Islam especially in Ramadan and they will also have a first hand experience helping some one who is not a Muslim. Today I am working with youth from the Maine Seeds (part of Seeds of Peace), this students are from all three Abrahamic faith traditions namely ,Jew, Christian and Muslim. I have also ask my friends o FB who are not muslims to donate one lunch to a soup kitchen near themirrespecteive of where they are i the world. Related Link

Meningioma UK brain tumour survival

By Brain tumour survivor Being told you have a meningioma brain tumour is devastating, whatever type of tumour it is. Patients (I'm one myself so I know what it's like) need support and information. Several years back my friend and I started a self-help group for patients and carers in the UK. FYI Meningiomas are rare tumours of the brain or spinal cord, and funding is hard to find so we run our patient support on a shoe-string. Our website is homemade and it looks it!
Help! Is there anyone out there who could create a great logo for us and give our website a face-lift ? Related Link

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