"Sure,
the island is busier, and I'm the first one to fuss about
the 'tourists and boat people' buying up the bread and inflating
the cost of living. But then I look around and see that
the people of Briland, as a whole, are far better off than
they were 20 years ago, the beach (and town) looks cleaner
than ever, there is a wonderful new health clinic, etc.
etc. etc. And as for the Web site and computer centre
... you had to live through the hellish uncertainty following
Andrew to appreciate what "being connected" meant
after Floyd."
-- posted
to the Briland Modem bulletin board by 'FARCLIFF' on July 18,
2000
The
online community portal known as The Briland Modem
was launched in September 1999, in the wake of Hurricane Floyd.
As a result of the site's effectiveness in coordinating emergency
hurricane relief for the community, the not-for-profit Briland Modem
Fund debuted in March 2000 as a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
organization to help coordinate community development both on and
offline. Executive director
and third-generation Brilander Kimberly King-Burns and board members
Glenroy Aranha, Richard Haskell and Sharon King focused on opening
a community computer centre that would offer free Internet access
and computer training workshops to locals, and worked in tandem
with local government council to open the first centre on Harbour
Island in June 2000.
Thanks
to enthusiastic corporate sponsors such as IBM Nassau, Rotary
Club East Nassau, Royal Bank of Canada, Amoury Company Ltd. and
Wadsworth Holdings Ltd. and a core volunteer network, the Briland
Modem Fund now manages six community centres in Eleuthera and
Harbour Island. Our successful experience to date with the
overwhelming popularity of these Out Island computer training
centers only confirms our belief that an exceptional potential
workforce exists in the Bahamas, which will allow it to fully
participate in this new era of globalization. No longer will our
country's youth be forced to emigrate from their home islands
in search of suitable employment.
Positive
community feedback
We have seen a corps of high school students and young adults forming
web design shops in order to design websites that support local
businesses, several of whom have secured college scholarships to
study computer science. Thanks to their entrepreneurial drive
– which was focused by the development of these computer centres
-- our islands' local industries, businesses and agricultural interests
will be able to market their unique skills to the outside world.
The Briland Modem Fund now manages community computer centres
in Bluff, Eleuthera; Hatchet Bay,Eleuthera; James Cistern, Eleuthera;
Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera; and Rock Sound, Eleuthera.
Bluff
Community Computer Centre
A
community-wide resource
The
Fund also supports the developmental education initiatives of
Exceptional Education Outreach; the after-school programs of the
Knowles House in Rock Sound, Eleuthera; and Dunmore School, a
not-for-profit school in Harbour Island.
Status
of Harbour Island Centre
Please
note that as of Spring 2004, the Harbour Island community center
located in the Sir George Roberts Library has been closed to the
general public, and is now open for access by students of the
Harbour Island All-Age School only. Paid Internet
access is available at Arthur's Bakery on Dunmore Street, and
Golden Apple Cafe on Colebrooke Street/Queen's Highway.
Your
Assistance Requested
As
for the ongoing management of the various centers, and the continued
development of additional centres throughout the Southern Out Islands
of the Bahamas, your donations of hardware, software and related
technology support arealways appreciated. Please ship all
supplies to G&G Shipping, 760 NE 7th Avenue, Dania FL 33004,
Tel 1 954 920 0306, attention: Richard Monroe. In the meantime,
please remember to clearly LABEL all parcels [marked 'parcel' vs.
'manifest'] for the Briland Modem Fund community technology center
program to show being addressed to Senior Commissioner Cephas Cooper,
c/o Customs Officer Cox, Harbour Island Community Center. Such clear
marking will ensure that your donation is imported duty-free.
Make
your tax-deductible donation
to
the Briland Modem Fund:
Briland
Modem Fund
Post
Office Box 23 – Chapel Street at Barracks Lane
Harbour
Island , Bahamas
Tel:
242 333 2882 - Fax: 242 333 2887
* * *
Stateside
office:
10153
Riverside Drive, Suite 244
Toluca
Lake , CA 91602
Tel:
818.761.5688/Cell: 818 640 6484
Fax:
818.761.0024
E-mail:
info@briland.com
Briland
Modem Fund Hailed
As
Social Entrepreneur [Fast Company 2002]
History
of the community computer centre network:
Briland
Wired For Immediate Access
North Eleuthera Administrative
Coordinator Roslyn Neely and
the
Briland Modem Fund's Kimberly King-Burns contributed to this story.
[Fall 1999] -- Thanks to the
dedicated efforts of Senior Commissioner Rufus Johnson and his excellent
staff, the brand-new Briland computer center - located in the old
fire engine house on Gaol Lane, next to the government complex --
now boasts four Pentium computers, two Macintosh computers, a Hewlett-Packard
printer, an entire set of the Hooked On Phonics software program
[still in transit on the G&G], tons of edutainment, financial support,
word-processing software · and two local instructors, Richette Percentie
and Adele Farquharson, for the adult and after-school programs soon
to get underway.
Many thanks are due to the local islanders and expat residents of
the island who made the computer center concept a reality, including
the skilled carpenters, painters and carpet installation experts
who loaned their time to the buildout and renovation of the old
firehouse, including Edward Saunders, Oliver Adderley, Clemente
Adderley, Glenroy Aranha and Samuel 'Cody' Cartwright. Comm. Johnson
supervised the carpet installation. Mr. Mullings of the Harbour
Island All-Age School donated the beautiful computer table. Susan
Ellis donated office furniture; Toni and Chuck Blankenship and Eddie
Major outfitted local councillor Harvey Roberts' office with desk
and chair; Sharon King donated a Pentium computer and Hewlett-Packard
printer; Kimberly and Elkanah Burns donated a Pentium computer;
Betty Henley donated a Pentium computer; Jim Reno donated a Macintosh
laptop; Karin Anderson donated a Macintosh Power Book; Ron Ellis
donated a huge box of business and word-processing software; Terry
Frank donated a Hooked on Phonics set; Donald Sweeting of Spanish
Wells supervised the installation of the computers and printer;
Batelnet donated Internet access to the Center; and the Briland
Modem message board located at www.briland.com served as the project
coordinator of all volunteer gifts and donations.
Briland Community Computer Centre Opens!
Gaol Lane at the Courtroom
[Fall 1999] -- Harbour Island
Commissioner Rufus Johnson has refurbished the old fire engine
house on Gaol Lane [next to the Post Office, the courtroom and
police station] as a computer-based community center, which will
offer classes in computer instruction, HTML design for the World
Wide Web. The community center is currently being wired for Internet
access. Volunteers for onsite afternoon tutorials, weekly classes,
and assistance in the technical infrastructure buildout of the
community center are invited to note their schedule of availability
via the Briland Modem messageboard, for integration into a master
schedule for access by local teachers.
To that end, the Briland Modem Fund has agreed to distribute a
call to arms for donations to the community service project, in
the way of all furniture and supplies needed. As of today, three
generous donations of brand-new computers have been received,
but the center hopes to bring in up to six such setups so that
adult and after-school classes can be scheduled. Early Pentium
models are welcome, as long as setups are IBM-compatible PCs.
You'll be shipping all such supplies to G&G Shipping, 760 NE 7th
Avenue, Dania FL 33004, Tel 1 954 920 0306, attention: Richard
Monroe. In the meantime, please remember to clearly LABEL all
parcels [marked 'parcel' vs. 'manifest'] for the Harbour Island
community center to show being addressed to Senior Commissioner,
c/o Customs Officer Wilson, Harbour Island Community Centre. Such
clear marking will ensure that your donation is imported duty-free.
All U.S. donors to the Community Center buildout should inform
the Briland Modem Fund of their offering at info@briland.com,
as all such gifts will be acknowledged with a receipt for tax
purposes, as the Fund is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.
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