When I was a kid, my dad worked for AT&T as a pbx tech. There was a group of 'old' guys that would take old 1A2 Key systems, etc, and kinda refurb them, then take them to places like Africa and South America and install them in poor hospitals as basically whole building intercom systems, if that makes sense. Now fast forward to today. My dad passed last year, I'm a pbx guy now, after having worked at Lucent and Avaya. I'm trying to find out if there are any volunteer opportunities for 'phone guys'? Does anyone know of such things? I don't mind where it's at.

I'm sure there are millions of "non-profit" and religious organizations right here that are too cheap would love a donated system.

-Hal

Let me start by saying that sometimes Hal's posts tend to sound a little bit like a typical N.Y. attitude but that's usually not the case.

There are many technical schools, high schools, and small start up businesses that can always use the help either hardware-wise or with the turnkey aspect of our discipline. Finding them isn't so easy, try the normal looking places like United Way, local Business Chambers of Commerce, and through the local city halls or local paper.
Some of these companies actually succeed due to the gratuitous help at start up and can payback several fold in the future, plus word of mouth will generate other calls for help.

I find it admirable to try and give back to our society that has help us in many ways. Good Luck !

I've donated equipment and labor to local non profit groups . look around Hattiesburg I'm sure you can find a worthy group who would love some refurbed equipment and the expertise to install it and keep it running for them .( you can even get a tax write off from it if your so inclined )

Thanks, guys...and Hal. I checked at the local public school where my kids go, but they received a lot of stuff from the Gates Foundation, i.e., new computers, wiring, and even a Cisco voip system just after hurricane Katrina. My church has a mission group that goes to Peru, but I was told they don't even have electricity where they've been going, so unless we build a mobile solar array for that, that's out as well. Sometimes a man just feels blessed and wants to give back. I'll keep diggin' around.

You may want to contact Habitat For Humanity.

Bpitt:

Volunteering is a dying concept. You are to be commended for trying to help others. I have been volunteering in emergency services for over 40 years. Along the way, various organizations that I've been involved with have needed electrical or com work, and I've helped them.

Toshiba Bob: What's "a typical N.Y. attitude" by the way?

Arthur in New York

Its alive and well in these parts, I'm involved with a group that has 90 volunteers and turns some away every year. Another group I volunteer for has around 2500 with a 100+ volunteering every week and a full time volunteer coordinator . Other groups I know off also have volunteer positions fill quickly .

I second Habitat for Humanity. In addition to the feel-good aspect of it, I've learned a lot working along side professionals who also volunteer. Tricks of the trade, like molding cutting tips etc. make it a win-win scenario.

Our local chapter doesn't have a lot of regular projects going, so we don't get to do a whole lot. I will say that on our last project, I was a bit disappointed. A utility company became a major contributor and the project turned into a showcase house featuring high-end equipment and products; comparable to home improvement shows that are funded by manufacturers. These homes were supposed to be very basic for the owners to receive something that is affordable, both to purchase and maintain. When they started allowing contributors to take it over the top with high-end products, we were pretty much left digging holes and painting.

Regardless, it is still rewarding.

It's realizing that many organizations with their hands out aren't what they would like you to believe. From the Catholic and other churches to the Red Cross to many non-profits. Most can well afford to pay the going rate. We have churches here in poor areas that are supported with money donated by their poor congregations. These churches are monuments to excess with imported marble and pastors with residences in the tropics. How much of your donated money does the Red Cross actually spend on their causes? Remember that a non-profit means no money left after all salaries and expenses have been paid.

Donating is like winning the lottery. Everybody you run into has a sob story.

-Hal

One of the most unique aspects of New York, more striking than even the most spectacular monument or the grandest skyscraper, is the attitude of the people who live there. When you first experience it, the New York attitude can seem rude but, if you take the time to understand why they adopt this tough external shell, you will come to see that it is not rudeness ... or, at least, not exactly.

New York is a tough place to live. Few places on Earth are as competitive at every level of society - simply getting from one end of a street to the other can be a challenge in this busy, overcrowded metropolis. New Yorkers live at a frantic pace because, for them, every second genuinely does count. For most people, their rent wipes out a frighteningly large portion of their monthly earnings, forcing them into a continual game of catch-up and, buddy, you'd better not get in their way.

You will come across the brusque New York attitude in practically every situation in which people interact with other people. New Yorkers themselves, when you query them on it, tend to see the typical attitude of their city as being a mixture of toughness, bravery and plain-talking, all mixed in with a dash of being overworked. They will reluctant admit that they can see how visitors might, just possibly, perceive this as rudeness but they find it hard to believe that anyone would prefer the sunny West Coast attitude, which they perceive as being horribly fake and insincere.

We New Yorkers have an attitude that is finely honed by having to deal with typical corn-fed Mid-Western rubes who stand around gaping at the monuments and skyscrapers while we try to get to the other end of the block to make a month's rent in three weeks.

(Just kidding...see how these social prejudgments and biases aren't so funny when you're on the receiving end?)

New York shopkeepers and business people are the way they are ("brusque" is an understatement) because we hear the mantra all day, every day: "I want, I need, I should have, I deserve, I'm entitled...doesn't it come in other colors...I can get it cheaper on Amazon."

As my old pal Frankie so eloquently put it "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere." Put another way "Lead, follow, or get out of the way."

New Yorkers, being at the Center of the Universe, lead.

It looks like to me Barry started out "IMO" trying to do the next good thing, offer his services to someone who can use them. Not trying to make a buck or promote anything just do something we should all think about from time to time..Now it has gone to jumping on NY, Churches,Red Cross etc; Let's give it a rest and try to help a guy out that wants to really do the right thing.

Thanks...

...bob...

....darn...did I just start the Civil War over again?

I'm not going to knock donating a system to a church or non profit. While I haven't donated a system to a church, I have sold and installed them. Guess who goes to church? Other business owners who might need a system. I have gotten work because of this. It's all about networking.

He asked, I replied. What may work where he is isn't always a smart thing to do someplace else.

Like they used to say in the military, never volunteer for anything.

-Hal

if you vet the organization you can give a group a gift of something they wouldn't have otherwise

Case in point I recently installed /donated a ACS with a small partner VM card and a couple of 18 d display phones ..all stuff I had sitting on the shelf.

the 30 year old 501c non profit works out of a home office and the director was using a uniden cordless system with four phones and a answering machine (which is still hooked up to ext 10 )

By adding the AA I've saved the director a ton of time with three selections going to answer only mail box's that take care of the bulk of inquires. plus everyone is commenting how professional they now appear

its not a place they would have put their limited funds

there are other non profits with plenty of funding who pay my regular rates I wouldn't give a freebie to just anyone

there are plenty of groups in every community who do good and could truly benefit from the donation ...no need to look south of the border or to other continents .

Why don't you contact the local Rotary Club? It is a organized international service organization that can direct you locally or internationally.

Excellent advise! Jump on to Rotary.org to find clubs in your area.

If you're giving a gift expecting something in return can it really be called a gift?

I'm headed to Haiti this weekend. They need someone to work on washing machines in an orphanage, I once did that kind of work while waiting a job. I've been trying to get there for a couple of months and haven't been able to make the connections, but this week it will happen.
Honestly I'm scared to death that I'll be an observer and not a do-er. Not what I'm hoping for.
By the way, I've never been to NY but I have spent quuite a bit of time in Boston, which I has the same rep. Get past the gruffness and there are no better people anywhere.
I am the rube from Kansas and to some degree I agree with the comment about west coast folks. Some of those folks are all show and no go. There again, MOST of those folks are very good people.
I've traveled the USA and I'm just real proud of the generosity and empathy in our land. I would say that no other country donates time and money overseas like ours. Now that's a gift.

Ooof! Don't even go there. What, we don't have any people of our own that need help? We sent how much to the Philippines, what the hell did they ever do for us?

-Hal

Let's get this topic back on track. You're not being fair to the OP. Further off topic comments will be removed.

No Barry you didn't start the Civil War..you asked a simple question and hopefully Bill put the cease fire in effect. Now maybe we can get you some more great idea's for your volunteer work that you are looking for. I'm sure there is plenty out there and wanting to follow in your "pops" footsteps it pretty cool. Keep up the search and see what comes up some good ideas have hit the forum already.....Good Luck

...bob...

I just donated most of my profit to a local land preservation organization. I'll end up making a couple of hundred dollars on an 8 phone installation.

But … one of my customers is on the board and i am a trail steward and it will be good press for me on top of doing a nice thing.

legitimate charity make you feel kinda good after a job well done.

It is all our responsibility to be good stewards of the blessings we have been given. Five minutes on the internet and a person can find out a wealth of information, good and bad, about a charity.

We donate a lot of equipment to a local Christian school here. There are ALWAYS grateful and they take such good care of everything we have given them. I got a plumbing contractor and a carpenter to donate material and now that school has one of the best "pre" trade school programs around. Once in the school year, I "teach" a class on 1A2 just to show the kids what granddad used to work with. Then they have a better appreciation of the new stored program control digital systems. The kids that take the classes are mostly high school aged boys but, every once in a while, there may be a girl or two in the class.

We also donate material to a special needs school. These kids are so very special and a lot of fun to work with. Most of the special needs schools have what they call pre-vocational classes. They teach everything from woodworking and metal working to electrical systems and communications systems. These kids are a little slower, but when they realize what the systems can do, they are some of the best students anyone could hope to have. I don't teach there, but I do sit in on the classes and enjoy watching the kids learn how these systems work.

Rcaman