College student, 11, rewarded for good deeds with toys for needy

Saturday, December 20, 2003 3:00 AM EST

By NICK ANTHONY

He’s 11.

But the fact that Komar is enrolled in higher education before becoming a teen is only one of the most interesting accomplishments the Burlington resident has achieved.

Komar is the recipient of the 2003 Prudential Spirit of Community Award by the Prudential Inc. It is the largest community service award in the country, for which over 24,000 people apply at the middle and high school levels. Komar was in sixth grade when he applied.

Only two students from each state -- one middle and one high school student -- were selected for this award from the United States. The 104 winners were invited to attend a ceremony in Washington, D.C. last May. At the ceremony, Komar was honored as one of the top 10 volunteers in the nation and was awarded $25,000 in clothes, toys and baby supplies from stores, such as Sears and Toys R Us, to be donated to a local charity.

He spent his first day of winter break in the office of the Tunxis’ dean of students sorting through boxes of toys and clothes to decide what he wants donated where. Together Komar and Tunxis AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) will bring items to the social services department in Farmington, a shelter in East Hartford, St. Agnes in West Hartford and other organizations in Farmington, Bristol, Burlington, Canton, Plainville, New Britain and Hartford.

What did Komar do to warrant this prize?

He completed a community service project where he restored 60 computers and gave them to families who cannot afford them. Komar calls his project Computers for Communities.

"I love community service," Komar said.

Komar was a 10-year-old sixth-grader at Talcott Mountain Academy in Avon when he learned Prudential had selected him as the award recipient.

"I didn’t do it for awards, I did it because I wanted to," said Komar, who added that he has been interested in computers since his first encounter with one at age 2. He was a self-described "early reader," immersing himself in the computer books at his home.

Komar said he gives speeches to youth groups, saying that the spirit of community service is inherent in everyone.

"No matter what age you are, you can help other people," Komar said, "It’s really a great thing, you can do community service at whatever you are good at."

For example, Komar said he met a girl in Washington, D.C. who took rocks and painted them as lady bugs. She later sold them, raising $20,000 for cancer research.

Komar started the computer project when he was 9. He worked on it for a year-and-a-half before he was honored with the award.

The janitor at his sister’s elementary school introduced Komar to a room of broken computers. After Komar left for the day, he thought about what a waste it was to just throw them all away. He decided to fix them so that the less fortunate could have one.

Komar said he had to approach several school officials before finally getting the approval to take the broken computers and work on them. The broken computers he received from various school districts had all kinds of passwords and secret codes Komar had to get through.

"I had to get software, I had to make phone calls," Komar said.

Komar said he called customer service departments from many different computer companies to speak with representatives and transfer licensing for the computers.

After a while, "I stopped telling my age," Komar said.

By the time he enrolled in the fifth grade, Komar was delivering computers every Thursday to families in need with the aid of the Farmington social services department. Komar delivered two computers each week, setting them up and demonstrating their use.

Komar said he also brought the idea to school and created a community service club through which he taught youngsters how to fix computers. He said at times he would even been be pulled out of class to help fix computers around the school.

The awards did not just stop with the Prudential honor, however.

In October, Komar won an award from toilet paper company Angel Soft, called Angels in Actions, for service. He was given a year’s supply of toilet paper and went to Hollywood for a ceremony broadcast on the E! television network.

Komar has received requests from other organizations who would like to start similar programs, and said he hopes to see the project developed in other communities.