Our Mission
The Sequim PC Users Group shall promote the acquisition, understanding and application of technological skills in the community.
The purpose of the Sequim PC Users Group is to promote the understanding and use of personal computers, to disseminate information about developments in the field of computers and the application of the technology to business, education and the home and to enhance interchange of knowledge and skills among users.
In the beginning...
The Sequim PC Users Group (SPCUG) is a non-profit organization created in 1992, with the first constitution adopted on 14 January 1993. The founding members foresaw a growing community need for computer-based skills and believed that knowing and using technology would enhance peoples’ lives.
Attracting mostly retirees interested in technology, the club’s focus has always been on the exchange of information and education via meetings and community events. In 1996, the club qualified as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.
The club’s first major project was helping Sequim High School set up a computer program and lab. When the partnership began, the school owned one computer. With the endorsement of SPCUG, club President, Jim Williams, funded 50% of the cost of the hardware for a lab. The students spent a couple of weeks assembling the newly purchased hardware into 24 working computers.
In 1993 Jim taught the first CAD (computer assisted design) class in cooperation with a credentialed teacher.
Over the next several years, SPCUG held their meetings, had presentations from notable guest speakers and other educational offerings at the school. Due to these efforts, club membership steadily increased.
SCPUG members continued to support Sequim High’s technology programs, provided and shared the cost of other equipment including a color projector, screen and software. SPCUG also supplied funds to the Robotics Club.
As a result, the School’s Administration and a great group of technology teachers developed the school into a statewide leader in Technology Education for high school students.
The pinnacle of the collaboration were two popular Media and Tech Fairs (2011 & 2012) presented by SPCUG and Sequim H.S. Future Business Leaders of America.
Eventually, the increased cost of room rentals and insurance premiums ended SPCUG’s relationship with the High School, but soon, another venture took hold.
SPCUG Takes on a new Challenge...
In 2011, Sequim Kiwanis Club member, Shell McGuire, asked if SPCUG could take over the Computers for Community Project, which gave refurbished computers to local students, who, would otherwise not have access to the technology. SPCUG president, Tom Lamure, generously offered his garage for the enterprise.
Computers that were donated by businesses and individuals were brought to the new Tech Shop where SPCUG volunteers refurbished the hardware, loaded an operating system (OS) and open-source software. Social service agencies and community groups were contacted to help distribute the machines to those in need.
As of 2022, the club has refurbished and donated over 1,000 computers to individuals in Clallam and Jefferson counties through agencies such as 1st Step, Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Club, Pathways to Success, Peninsula Behavioral Health, schools, home schoolers, and veteran’s organizations.
SPCUG Makes an Entrance on the World Wide Web...
SPCUG’s official web page, “spcug.net” first appeared in 2004, hosted by Bob Anundson. Over the years, other club members took on the webmaster duties and varied the content and look of the site. The latest restructuring was completed in 2022 by Christian Snow.
Support Your Local Outlaws...
In 2011, a second presence came online: the SPCUG PC Outlaws Group, which was established as the planning and tech branch of SPCUG by Steve Solberg, who has been a leader in all aspects of the club since joining in 2003.
The name “Outlaws” was in keeping with the early Board of Directors name, “The Posse”, although nothing illegal was involved. Steve created and maintains the Outlaws website and moderates every other Monday meetings, which he renamed Sequim Tech Café in 2021. Except during the COVID-19 pandemic, when get-togethers had to go online, the well-attended and sociable breakfast meetings were held at Ely’s Café.
Steve, although no longer living in the area, still presents an agenda with links for each meeting. The content is varied to appeal to novice as well as advanced users with an emphasis on online security.
Steve also ushered SPCUG into the world of social media by creating the club’s Facebook page in 2017.
Partnering with Fellow Non-Profit Organizations...
An important partner with SPCUG is The Shipley Center, formerly The Sequim Senior Center. In 2017, the Center reached out to SPCUG because the computers for their members had become outdated and difficult to maintain. In an effort that included Peninsula Credit Union and Sequim Rotary club support, Tech Shop volunteers, led by Joe Mirabella and Steve Solberg replaced and upgraded all of the Center’s hardware. Joe continues to maintain the equipment, work with other volunteers at the Tech Shop and the Monday computer help clinic, which is a service provided for Shipley Center and SPCUG members needing help with their computers.
Prior to COVID, Saturday meetings and other educational offerings, were held at the Shipley Center.
Other non-profit organizations that have benefited from SPCUG members’ expertise include Olympic Theater Arts (OTA), KSQM radio station, and Sequim Museum and Arts. Jim Hurley, who has been active in all aspects of the club since 2014, spent many hours providing IT support at OTA before leaving the area.
Hardware has been donated to KSQM as well as Sequim Museum and Arts. Although not a non-profit, residents at Highland Court Memory Care in Port Angeles received 30 computers and peripherals from SPCUG.
SPCUG Returns to 3rd Grade...
An exciting project that was interrupted by COVID, was SPCUG’s work with third Graders at the Roosevelt Elementary School Computer Club in Port Angeles. In 2018 and 2019, student and SPCUG Tech Shop volunteer, Aiden Johnson, assisted his fellow students as Jim Hurley and other SPCUG members guided the kids in dismantling, rebuilding and loading Linux OSs into SPCUG donated computers.
Helping the Sequim School District Achieve Distance Learning during the COVID Pandemic...
In 2020, SPCUG assisted the Sequim School District by returning 90 surplus, refurbished computers for students who were suddenly forced into distant learning by COVID.
The Present and the Future...
January 2023 marks the official 30th anniversary of SPCUG. From its inception, the philanthropic culture of the club has been forged by the generosity and vision of key individuals willing to share their expertise and time to educate and support SPCUG members and the community.
The organization has continued for three decades because numerous individuals have contributed their time as Board members, teachers, event and Tech Shop volunteers and participants eager to learn about technology.
As with other endeavors, COVID has taken its toll on SPCUG. Without in-person meetings and educational offerings, membership has fallen. Despite the decline, online meetings remain well attended and the Tech Shop has continued non-stop to refurbish and distribute computers to the community.
Technology has evolved mightily in 30 years. Desktop computer popularity has fallen. Laptops are still widely used and a necessity for some students and those living in small spaces or unstable situations. Notebooks and smart phones, which are not easily repaired or refurbished, have become the go-to technology for many people.
The increased availability of Wi-Fi for low income individuals will offer inclusion to those who did not previously have access and possibly create a new demand.
The Tech Shop closed as of December 2023 due to losing the garage where the crew worked for 12 years. Laptops will still be refurbished on a smaller scale.
As the future unfolds, SPCUG remains dedicated to the goal of…
