Boy’s computer passion benefits families unable to buy new equipment

Tuesday, April 29, 2003 3:00 AM EDT

By ERIKA COTTON

Last year he shared that interest with his community by rebuilding, refurbishing and reprogramming 53 old computers to give to families who could not otherwise afford to have one.

The school he was then attending, Lake Garda School in Burlington, was going to discard the computers, but young Jacob decided that he would rebuild and make them functional for families in his community.

His mother, Alicia Komar, said she was skeptical about the success of the project at first.

"It was a lot of hard work, but he kept saying, ‘Come on, mom. I can do it. I can do it.’ And he did it," she said.

Because Jacob has been fooling around with computers since he was about 5 years old, fixing them was the easy part. Getting the software relicensed, finding and then teaching families how to use the computers was a little more difficult, his mother said.

"Just to see the looks on the kids’ faces when we would bring them the computers is what kept him going," his mother said. "For them, it was like Santa Claus had just come."

The project, which he named "Computers for Communities," was recently expanded into an afternoon enrichment class period at Talcott Mountain Academy in Avon.

During the class, he and seven other students focus on fixing the computers and getting them to families in the community.

Jacob especially works to get the computers in homes where there are children who could use one for school research and homework, his mother said.

Since Jacob’s story has been in the press, several people in the community have called and donated old computers to support his cause. His mother said that he now has, in storage, more than 200 computers that need to be repaired.

He and classmates are taking on the challenge of getting them ready by the end of the school year.

For his efforts in creating the program and upgrading more than 60 outdated computers on his own, Jacob is being honored with an engraved silver medallion as one of Connecticut’s top two youth volunteers for the 2003 Prudential Spirit of Com-munity Awards program.

In addition to the medallion, he has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship and all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The presentation will be held today at 7 p.m. at the academy.

"I just think it’s heartwarming to be able to meet other people who have dedicated so much of their time and effort towards helping people in their communities," Jacob’s mother said.

Playing with and fixing computers started out as a hobby for Jacob, but has become much more than that, his mother said.

"When his friends come over and they play, that’s what they’re usually doing. There are parts in the garage or in the living room, all waiting to be hooked up," she said. "He’s always on a computer. Computers are his passion."

Son and mother are counting down the days until May 8 when they leave for the nation’s capitol.

"I am so excited," Jacob said. "I cannot wait to go. I want to see what the others have done and maybe use their ideas. I want to see what other things are out there that are being done to help people in communities all over."

Two students -- one in middle school and one in high school -- from each state, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico will meet at the Capitol for four days, during which they will attend a congressional dinner, a lunch with the Senate and do some sightseeing, according to Prudential Financial representatives.

Ten of the 104 students will be recognized as America’s top youth volunteers for 2003.

The awards program is sponsored in part by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and created by Prudential Financial to encourage children to get involved in community service.