By Jack Goldfisher

Yearbook staff members spent Dec. 10 teaching more than 90 underprivileged families how to use computer software that was given to them by the Computers for Youth organization.

Joyce Ok ’13, a staffer on the yearbook who also serves on the Community Council, wanted to find a way to put the Vox Populi computer skills to work and to fulfill the Community Council’s goal of groups of students volunteering while bonding. She found the Impact for Family Learning event through volunteermatch.com.

The students taught families how to use programs like Microsoft Word and other education-oriented software and played computer games with them.

The computers and software were donated by CSY, an organization centered around increasing accessibility for students across the US by affording them access to educational technology.

The organization collects computers from donors and uses a government grant to refurbish them.

Then they install new software and organize a training day with volunteer groups and give away these refurbished computers.

According to CFY’s website, “more than 95 percent of parents said the CFY program enabled them to see more potential in their child to learn.”

Ok said she hopes to get more people involved in charitable projects that harness their specific abilities. Ok said playing games with the kids and their families was her favorite part of the experience.

“The entire family would get really into playing the game,” she said. “It was really touching.”