Wanda Davis of Ashbury Senior Computer Community Center says seniors can become tech savvy

A Q&A with Wanda Davis, founder of the Ashbury Senior Computer Community Center (ASC3) in Cleveland (OH). 

Explaining the work of ASC3, Davis said, " People get their basic training and open lab time. We’ll introduce you to Word, Excel, PowerPoint... We have five sessions per year. Each session is one or two times a week for eight weeks. We also do sessions and open labs at other sites around town. Our goal is to be in 10 sites. We offer free or low-cost refurbished computers and low-cost hotspots with Internet service. We have a call center where graduates do research for businesses for a stipend. We train volunteers for nonprofits. To date, we’ve trained 7,200 people. We’ve had a waiting list all the time." When asked, "Why have a computer center just for seniors?", Davis said, "It’s not really just for seniors. We’ve had people from 17 to 96. Mostly they’re 45 and up. Our motto here is, 'The ability to learn is ageless.' I find the seniors are more eager to dive into technology than some of the younger people. Once you whet their appetite and let them know how valuable tech is, they want to know more and more. I think we’re the only computer center with that target population."