Craig Clark is a good neighbor to have.
After he retired from managing a chain of convenience stores, he became a computer technician. That's when he got the idea to provide laptops for those who couldn't afford them.
Clark, who is from Sarasota, Florida, became the "Tech Fairy."
"I have no memory as to why or how I branded myself as [that]," he told NPR. "People would give me their old computers when they bought a new one and I would fix them up and find someone to give them to."
He started eight years ago and has helped hundreds of people – with photos to prove it.
"In the 700 pictures, there's a lot of convenience store workers, there's a lot of fast food workers, people that I know are working for a minimum wage and probably cannot afford a $1,200 laptop."
The 79-year-old is a one man operation. Clark's office has racks filled with computers. Some laptops are open, revealing their green motherboards.
The laptops are all donations. He changes out parts that don't work and adds a new hard drive to each computer — at no cost to recipients.
"I couldn't do it without the generous donations that I get," he says. "I give away about eight or nine a month … there's probably 500 laptops [here]. So, there's $20,000 there."
And Clark says while the costs for the Tech Fairy to turn around the donated laptops continues to grow — the value to recipients can be life changing.
One example: A server at Clark's favorite restaurant accepted one of the refurbished laptops.
"He came up and said, 'Craig, I just want you to know, last week I got two $6,000 grants from my college that I never would have even known about if I didn't have that laptop."
Clark looks beyond familiar faces when he chooses potential recipients for his tech gifts. When he's out shopping at places like second-hand stores, Clark walks up to people who might be checking out a used laptop but stop short of buying it.
He's even worked up a bit of a script.
"So, I will say something like: 'I noticed you were looking at a computer, but you didn't pick it up.'"
Then Clark tells them about his refurbished laptops and "shows them the people I've given computers to and then they're convinced I'm for real."
Clark intends to keep granting wishes, one refurbished laptop at time.
"I never had a plan," he says. "It was just something that happened and kind of blew out from underneath me. But I'm so pleased it did."
"I love fixing computers and watching people smile."
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