Volunteer Services

TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE GROUP (TAG)

Written by Avery Stauffer, Marketing Intern What started out as a computer hobby and a desire to help others, turned into the newest volunteer service at Garden Spot Village - the Technology Assistance Group (TAG). One of the founding voices of the program and president of the Computer Club, Dave Starnes, wanted to find a way for the computer club to become more interactive at Garden Spot. The Computer Club began nearly 20 years ago as an informal group where members could share their tech knowledge and learn from others. With the help of his wife and other Computer Club members, Dave began to brainstorm. “Everyone had good ideas!” says Dave. Currently, the IT Department charges $25/hour for personal tech assistance. The department, however, becomes overloaded with projects and requests and sometimes find it difficult to provide quick assistance. This was the beginning of TAG. The purpose of TAG is to provide free tech assistance for residents while lightening the workload of the IT Department. Andrew Dietzel, head of the IT department, was enthusiastic about the computer club’s idea after a meeting with the group. Assistance is not limited to just computer hardware and software issues. It includes things like smart phones, smart TVs, CATIE, using the Internet and computer accessories like printers, DVD players and external hard drives. “If it’s techy, TAG will tackle it,” says Dave. Carol Ann Boswell, a Garden Spot Village resident since June 2020, asked the Technology Assistance Group to help her connect her computer to her TV. Carol Ann says, “They were just so diligent. The volunteer came twice, spending an hour each time. The first day he realized he couldn’t connect my computer to my TV. He called me back and said I’ve done some more research. He tried again. They were incredibly helpful. We just couldn’t make it happen, because my TV simply couldn’t support the connection to my computer.” To date, ten volunteer TAG members with a diversity of skills help IT. When a resident puts in a technology assistance request by calling (6095) or emailing it@gardenspotvillage.org, the IT Department evaluates if the request can be handled by a TAG member. The request is then assigned to TAG and one of the volunteer members will reach out and provide the needed assistance. Because the group is made up of resident volunteers, they are able to offer this service for free to residents. The neat thing about this group of volunteers is that they are all excited to continue learning. Once an assistance request is completed, the volunteer writes back to the TAG team explaining the problem and solution so everyone can learn from the experience. “I love doing this kind of stuff,” says Dave, “I think it’s a really great way to help others and learn at the same time!” The new group created a win-win-win process since the IT Department will save time, residents will get faster and less costly technology assistance, and Computer Club members will get the reward of making a difference.