Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Gordon Gerlitz is close to hitting a goal he set for providing electronic devices to those in need in his community.
Gerlitz adds this greeting on the opening windows of equipment he readys for donation.
DAYTON - Area non-profits and charities, including Project Timothy, Blue Mountain Action Council, and the Walla Walla YWCA, appreciate the generosity of retired computer tech Gordon Gerlitz. After owning and operating GWhiz Computing for twenty years, Gerlitz now offers his considerable skills to help his community.
Gerlitz has collected, refurbished, and donated over ninety laptops, tablets, and phones since he started this project in January 2022. He is now within five devices of 100, a goal he wants to celebrate by bringing the first and one-hundredth recipients together for a photo.
Anyone who uses home electronics ends up with devices they no longer use. As they upgrade their phones, laptops, and tablets, their old equipment can still be valuable to new users. When a device is given to Gerlitz's project, donors may choose a charity or leave it to him. Then he assesses the device's condition, wipes data, makes needed repairs if possible, and offers to recycle or return those he can't.
Gerlitz said he accepts computers and tablets that can be updated to the current version of Microsoft Word and phones which work on 4G networks. He said it takes two and a half days to erase, install a fresh copy of Windows, and adjust a computer for maximum performance. The cleaned and updated devices are donated to charitable organizations, including Project Timothy, Walla Walla YWCA, Blue Mountain Counseling, Blue Mountain Action Council, Waitsburg Historical Society, and Christian Women.
Donations come to Gerlitz from Asotin, Cheney, Clarkston, College Place, Dayton, Prescott, Waitsburg, and Walla Walla.
"I'm very impressed and thankful for all the generous donors in all these communities," said Gerlitz.
After retiring from teaching at Dayton High School, Gerlitz started G Whiz Computing in 2000. Though he closed his business in December 2023, he continues to accept, refurbish, and donate equipment as long as it keeps coming in.
If you would like to make a donation of equipment, contact Gordon Gerlitz through Facebook Messenger or email lane@waitsburgtimes.com.
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