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jeff1

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1 reviews

Review for NextStep Recycling, Eugene, OR, USA

Rating: 5 stars  

I volunteered long-distance from Southern California starting in 2003. I did eBay sales for Nextstep of old Macintosh items. I really liked the work, and Lorraine and Mike Day were fun and engaging people. My love of old computers, particularly Macintosh computers, pulled me like a magnet to Oregon in 2005 where I volunteered for many months refurbishing PCs and Macs for the cause. I loved the place, the work and the friendships I made while there. There is nowhere to be found another place like Nextstep. My memories of my time volunteering are pleasant ones. Although the work was hard and challenging, I never met any other vocation that made me feel as happy as when in the build area refurbishing computers. I lived my dream and loved my work. The days went by like hours, hours passed like moments. Thanks to Lorraine, I got to do what I'd always loved. I'm grateful there's a Nextstep Recycling.

I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...

More ways than I can count. Refurbishing, recycling, volunteering.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

Push for better funding that makes what Nextstep does go farther and more in-depth. The need is great, but the resources scant.

What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...

The work I did, the freedom I experienced in doing what I loved and the support of the staff there.

The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...

from all walks of life and all skill levels. Both with and without mental and physical challenges. Kind, caring and focused on what really was important about their mission.

If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...

Provide improved job and skills training the community sorely needs. Provide better resources to program recipients in technology placements and education. Provide broader outreach in educating our community about recycling.

Ways to make it better...

I could have stayed on longer refurbishing computers.

In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...

The lack of volunteer help in getting needed services in motion. The lack of solid funding to accomplish all this organization has set out to achieve.

One thing I'd also say is that...

This positive and necessary company needs both financial and infrastructure bolstering. There is so much yet to do, and so few resources to do it with. They love their mission and would love to do so much more of it.

How frequently have you been involved with the organization?

About every week

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

2010

Role:  Volunteer & Refurbish computers for their placement programs.