Biker Philanthropy: TechSoup Revs Up Donated Computer Programs for Kids

From their birth at the Hollister riot just after World War II, to the 1953 Brando film, The Wild Ones, to Hunter S. Thompson's strange and terrible saga about the Hell's Angels, to the current Sons of Anarchy TV show; motorcycle gangs are outlaw icons of our culture.

Motorcycle Gang Philanthropy?

Despite their legendary "bad guy" reputations, bikers also have a lesser-known, but rich tradition of philanthropy, including nationwide events like Rolling Thunder's annual Ride for Freedom for veterans and POW/MIA awareness, Kyle Petty's Charity Ride Across America, as well as local organizations like the charity, BIKERSCAP, in Florida.

We found out about BIKERSCAP when the organization's CEO, Greg Reaster, posted on our Facebook page "TechSoup has made all we do here at BIKERSCAP possible. We have ventured into setting up computer labs now, along with donations to education. TechSoup has made the upgrade to Win 7 possible; how can we thank them enough?"

Naturally, we were excited to check this out. I gave Greg Reaster a call to find out what they were doing in the Tampa Bay area. Their work is straightforward: fix up donated computers and give them to needy children. The name of the organization is actually an acronym for Building Intellect, Knowledge, Education, Resources, and Schooling with a Computer Acquisition Program.

Like many PC refurbishment programs around the world, Greg started doing this charitable work out of his home. Actually, he still does. BIKERSCAP is an all-volunteer project that started in March 2009 in the depths of the great recession.

Greg Reaster on his Harley

In the Beginning

Greg lost his construction project management job. According to an article on BIKERSCAP in the Pasco Tribune he said "I was making six figures a year with a full benefits package, then I was sitting at home watching Jerry Springer and drinking beer," he said. "It was boring. I decided to start working on computers. I mean, I have degrees in it."

The idea for BIKERSCAP happened when Reaster's long-time biker buddy, Steve Story, had a computer that needed repairs. He called Reaster and asked him to get it running again, so he could donate it. "It was Christmas time, and I said I wanted to give it to a kid who needed it," Story said. "I wanted to give it to a kid who could get their homework done and use it for educational stuff, and it just snowballed from there."

Outlaws No More

After that Reaster began putting ads in the local paper soliciting for computers. He got several and began refurbishing and donating them. In due course, he got a bunch of his biker friends involved and started the charity. BIKERSCAP now has around 20 volunteers, mostly older bikers, who meet on weekends to fix PCs and hold charitable events.

Greg told me, "We can easily image 10 computers per day. Sundays are our best day for getting things done. We see lots of kids in the Tampa Bay area with natural smarts but no money in the family for a home computer. Police departments and schools work with us to identify the children that need them the most. We're also building computer labs in grammar schools around Tampa Bay, but we're really all about the kids."

Their mission statement says: "We, as concerned members of the biker community are committed to providing this necessary educational tool through completely refurbished computer system donations. Bikers helping children."  

When I asked him about his largely biker volunteer corps, Greg cites the American Motorcyclist Association outlaw estimate.

"There's a mystique behind us, but 99 percent of us are people you wouldn't expect, like a lawyer sitting next you – 99 percent of bikers are law-abiding citizens. The 1 percent of bikers that are outlaws even support us, though. I've been riding all my life, but I'm not riding so much any more. Back in my 20s, I was a law enforcement officer. For many years after that I was a weekend warrior."

Not Your Ordinary Charity

For one thing, to judge from the BIKERSCAP Facebook page, these guys still manage to have a good time, biker style. Computers and money do come to BIKERSCAP by local businesses and residents. Several computer donations have come from Raymond James Financial in St. Petersburg. The organization's other sponsors, however, are a bit more surprising.

They include Hog-Law.com, Riders Now Magazine, Ruben and Steve Bazarte Bail Bonds, Biker Valley Radio, Pollock Joe's Pinstriping, JoDell and the Mountain Road Band, Florida Cars of Tampa Bay, Motorcycle Metrics, and All Tune and Lube, the official drop-off point for donations to BIKERSCAP.

Their fundraisers are unique as well, like the Mad Beach Bike Fest on Madeira Beach and also the North Port Hog Roast for Charity. Harley Davidson Corporation isn't yet sponsoring their work.

Everyday Hero

Greg Reaster was has received the Bay News 9 "Everyday Hero Award" twice. The project consumes a lot of his time, and since it's all-volunteer, the project doesn't pay anything. But he said that he wants to grow their work by aligning BIKERSCAP with a larger national charity so more children can benefit. The Pasco Tribune quotes him:

"I might be selfish, but it makes me feel good. We're filling a void. A lot of these computers, they're throwing them out in the trash. We recycle them for kids to use in their education. This is like my church, man. I even go back and check on these kids when I can. We're doing it. We're making a difference."

At TechSoup, we're happy to know that our work helps rev up programs like the ones run by BIKERSCAP. If you'd like to comment on the impressive programs Greg is running or share other interesting stories from the world of philanthropy, please log in to comment on this blog post.

Images: courtesy of BIKERSCAP