Thanks to a 2023 Foundation grant, the Oliver Senior Centre Society has greatly improved its organizational efficiency. The grant was used to update the Society’s outdated computer hardware, making their administrative work much easier. 

“Our old machines could no longer be upgraded to run essential programs such as our bookkeeping software,” says Julie Russel, President of the Society. “We used our grant to purchase two new computers and invested our own funds to obtain a third machine.” 

Now that all of their office computers are updated, the improvements in work flow have been dramatic. “What used to take our Secretary all day on their old computer now takes just a couple of hours,” says Julie. Having computers of the same age and model has also eliminated problems with compatibility and communication between machines.  

While their old computers are not up to handling complex administrative tasks, the Society has still found important uses for them. One has been minimally upgraded and repurposed as an Internet only kiosk for visitors to the Senior Centre. The kiosk allows access to the Internet that might not be available at home, helping seniors and others in the community stay connected to family and friends, keep up to date with the news and complete online research.