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November 22, 2011
PC

HP Partners with the Ronald McDonald House to Bring PCs to those in Need

I used to volunteer in the NICU at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC. For those of you who don’t know NICU stands for Newborn Intensive Care Unit. The NICU is where the sickest little babies go and for those who have never been, it’s the most surreal experience. You see all in one space the saddest stories and the happiest kids and you learn more than anything what it actually means to fight for your life. A tiny little child with a life-threatening illness and a steely resolve still blows my mind away. It’s also one of the reasons that I really appreciate the work that the Ronald McDonald house does for families and children across the US. I was also thrilled to hear about the recent partnership between HP and the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, MN near the Mayo Clinic.

HP has kindly donated a TouchSmart PC for every patient/family room in the facility as well as a PC in the main lobby. An HP TouchSmart screen will replace a whiteboard in the hallway that currently lists scheduled outings, activities and crafts. In addition, in the privacy of their own guest room, parents can log-in directly to their child’s patient account at the Mayo Clinic on the HP TouchSmart PC to keep up to date on appointments and lab results, day or night. The House is home to 42 families each night, and nearly 1,000 annually. To find out what commercial blogger Lee Sabow thinks of this great PC read here.

HP joined us for a recent #win7tech Tech Tuesday chat and we were floored to learn about the multitude of ways you use your TouchSmart PCs – from teaching grandparents to learn technology, to educating and encouraging online usage with children affected by Down Syndrome and other illnesses. For those who are interested in learning more about the TouchSmart, click here.

HP also donated HP Compaq 6000 Pro All-in-One Business PC for the staff at Ronald McDonald House. The most popular staff feature of the HP Compaq 6000 Pro is the 21.5-inch diagonal, full HD, LED backlit, and a HP BrightView LCD screen that offers crisp videoconferencing for face-to-face communications.

If you are interested in donating your PC to a local charitable organization, you’ll need to safely refurbish it. Find out how to do so via the Microsoft Refurbisher Program. Have questions or looking for places to donate this holiday season tweet me or Microsoft Citizenship team.