8/15/2005
Project Valour IT
American Soldier says,
Got this the other day and didn’t want to miss the chance to get it out there. There are days that I wish I had something like this. However there are far worse injured Soldiers out there. Take the time to read it all and even sending a dollar will help!
Project Valour-IT
(Voice-Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops)
In memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss
Every cent raised for Project Valour IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops, software and equipment for the wounded servicemembers.
Currently we are forming “libraries” of laptops equipped with the voice-controlled software for wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines at each major military medical center to check-out for a few hours at a time. In the next stage, a fully-equipped laptop will be provided to each servicemember for use throughout in-hospital recovery. Finally, copies of the voice-controlled software for use on home computers will be supplied to servicemembers who still need it as they leave the medical center.
Each fully equipped laptop will cost an estimated $625 (plus shipping), thanks to software donations and retailer discounts. Thus, the first two phases will require an estimated budget of about $110,000. Full implementation will require an estimated budget of $600,000 (click here for specs and estimated/expected costs).
Phase 1: Initial Phase
The National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital) will be the first medical center to participate, receiving 25 fully-equipped laptops for their patients with hand and arm injuries at an estimated cost of $17,000.
Phase 2: Open Participation
All participating medical centers will begin to receive 20-30 voice-controlled laptops per center, once the Bethesda phase is complete.
Phase 3: Full Implementation
The number of voice-controlled laptops per center will be increased as funds become available, to an average of 150 laptops per medical center. Copies of the voice-controlled software will also be made available for patients to install on their home computers when they leave the medical center.
Filed under: General, News from home
11 Responses to “Project Valour IT”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
TrackBack To This Entry (Right-Click and Copy Shortcut)
Wow! This is so cool. Thanks for posting!
That’s a great idea. Looks like I’ve got a new project to get behind.
Times like this, I really wish I were rich!!!!! Or at least, not living paycheck to paycheck, LOL!
Great program. You didn’t say where you got this item. Is SFC Wm Ziegenfuss related to CPT Chuck Ziegenfuss whose blog many of us follow?
Yes its all at the site I’ve linked. Here is the direct link to the history of this project. http://soldiersangels.org/valour/history.html
Thanks so much for helping spread the word, AS!
Oh wow, I’ve been reading CPT Chuck Ziegenfuss’s blog for a while now… How did I not make the connection till someone said something?! LOL!!!! I KNEW that name sounded familiar!!!
AS, I really enjoy reading your blog. And thanks for providing the link. If you hadn’t posted it, I probably would not have known about the program. On his blog CPT Chuck said of his father, “I miss him every day.” After reading the story at SoldiersAngels I can understand why. The entire Ziegenfuss family is pretty remarkable!
AS - Glad to have another site spreading the word on the laptop project!
Bonnie - I think that the Ziegenfi (as Chuck’s wife Carren refers to them!) are very special folks. Then again - I think we have a lot of great people serving in the military!
What a wonderful project!
I know that Bill Gates and his wife have a foundation that donates monies for computer equipment for educational purposes (such as to libraries, schools, etc.). I wonder if your project, especially the initial funding for a pool of computers to be borrowed by recovering soldiers, would be something that would fit into the grants given by that foundation. Perhaps it’s worth looking into. Just a thought.
http://butalbital-ygkf.blogspot.com