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Mar 27, 2008

"To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves --there lies the great, singular power of self-respect." --Joan Didion

The Woman Who Gives Away Computers

Forty-seven-year-old Lorraine Kerwood confounds expectations. One of eleven children, she grew up under challenging circumstances. Teachers labeled her mentally challenged and assigned her to special education classes. A wide variety of low-paying, blue-collar jobs followed. Yet, when Lorraine returned to school at the prodding of a friend, she became an academic star, eventually graduating magna cum laude from the University of Oregon. During that time, the student once labeled "challenged," taught herself to rebuild computers, which she then gave to people who couldn't afford them. With her new skill set, and her abiding sensitivity to the issues of the disadvantaged, Lorraine established NextStep, a nonprofit computer-recycling center.