WHO: My name is Sebastian, I am 20 years old and I believe that anyone, regardless of age, has the ability to help those in need if we all just work together.

WHAT: The goal is to build as many computers as possible to give to those in need. The more successful I am at raising funds, the more people we can help. Your support gives you direct input on who the computers go to as well.

WHY: Most of you know my dad, Steve from [H]ardOCP.com . More than fifteen years ago, he started building and donating computers for various causes in his spare time. It all started with computers to replace the iMacs in the public school system's computer labs. From there, he started building PCs for disabled veterans, the Boys and Girls clubs, women's shelters, children's hospitals and kids that come from low income homes with no access to a computer.  



After helping to build hundreds of computers with my father over the years for, I feel like it is my turn to take up the cause and do what I can to help those in need. Given the fact that I, like most kids my age, have an abundance of free time over the summer, doing something like this a perfect way to stay busy while helping others at the same time.

Why GoFundMe? The answer is simple. I am not doing this as a business, a start-up or non-profit. I only plan on doing this once a year if I can.  If you use other fundraising sites, you must set and meet a monetary goal within 30 days or you will not receive funding. But, for example, if I set a goal of $10,000 on GoFundMe to build twenty computers but only raise $5,000, I still have the funding to build at least half the amount of computers. If I only raise $1,000 I can at least build a couple budget systems. In the end, the types of systems we will build depends on the funding we receive.

Obviously the expense of building this many computers would be a massive undertaking for any one person. But, if we split the cost between a thousand people, now we are talking about less than a trip to the drive-thru window for each person involved. By crowdfunding, it makes it possible for everyone to help make this project a reality. 

I have selected several groups that are in need of computers but I am leaving it up to you to decide where the computers will be donated. 

Computer labs at children's hospitals
Disabled veterans
Women's shelters
The school district
Boys & Girls Clubs

 How will that work? When you make a donation, you state the group you would most like to see the computers donated to. The groups will be ranked by the amount of votes they receive. That way, if I get funding to build ten computers, the top ranked group would get four, the next group three, the next two and the last group would get one. If I am only able to build one system, it would go to the group with the most votes. I believe this is the best way to help as many people as possible.

Transparency: The dollar amount of each item will be listed so that those of you that have supported this project will know how your money was spent. A list like the example below will be posted here for all to see listing all the components that have been purchased:



With Nevada’s high school graduation rate being the lowest in the nation, we feel that the community and educational benefits of projects like this give people the tools to better educate themselves, excel in school, learn a trade or to help them find or train for a new job.    

So that is it, I am asking for you to forego a single trip to Starbucks, once a year, to sponsor my project. The hope is that this project will inspire others my age to start or get involved with projects like this in their community.