Dicar Networks donating $7K for new wireless network, tech services
Published in the December 11 – 25 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Photo by Robert Airoldi
Alban Diaz and Armando Garcia in the center.
The kids at the El Toro Youth Center are getting an upgrade.
Plans are in the works for a new wireless network that will accommodate up to 50 computers, thanks to a donation from Dicar Networks. The new network — which will include cabling access, firewall management and technical services and is valued about $7,000 — will allow children who attend the center the ability to bring in iPads, laptops and cell phones and access the Internet. It’s the same product the company installed at the Centennial Recreation Center, the Community Center and the Aquatics Center.
“That’s going to open up a lot more functionality for them,” said Armando Garcia, owner of Dicar Networks. And in case parents are worried that some may access inappropriate sites, the network will include the next generation firewall, which will monitor what social media or games the kids can get into, Garcia said. They’ll also double the center’s current memory capacity.
Garcia has lived in Morgan Hill for 17 years, but just recently moved his company to the community After moving the company here, he wanted to do something to generate visibility for the business and thought donating services to a nonprofit would be a good way to go. That was his initial reason. But as he got more involved, that reason shifted and he wanted to more fully support the children who attend so he joined the board of directors last month.
“I had to do something that at least helps even things out for these kids,” Garcia said. “I got excited to help.”
And the donation is timely. The center survived a tough year. After Catholic Charities halted funding, the center needed to raise the estimated $100,000 to keep the doors open for a year. About $40,000 came from parents and residents who now pay a nominal fee to send their children to the center. The remainder from local businesses, the city and grants. And while that will get them through this fiscal year, they will need to find funding for the next fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014.
Alban Diaz, the center’s supervisor who has worked there for eight years, said the wireless installation is essential. “Knowing you’ll have the technology to do your homework is important,” said Diaz, 26, who will be graduating next year from San Jose State University with a degree in psychology and hopes to work as a counselor with youth.
The next step, Garcia said, is to upgrade the center’s computers. The center currently has eight work stations, but with 50 youth attending every afternoon and 500 families who take advantage of the programs, it needs more and newer computers.
Both Garcia and Diaz said the goal is to provide the youth who attend a safe place to come after school where they can use the technological tools available in order to maximize their potential. Youth who attend receive tutorial help with homework, computer literacy classes, arts and crafts and recreational opportunities, and training and workshops in study habits, and drug and gang prevention.
The center is located at 17620 Crest Ave., and is open Monday through Friday from 2 to 6 p.m.
