Springfield Township graduated 24 more students from Oak Hill Collaborative’s computer education programs on Feb. 19 after completing five classes. Additionally, Springfield Township Trustees paid for 20 laptops to be distributed to the first 20 residents who completed the programming.
While Oak Hill Collaborative began teaching classes back in July of 2024, this second round of computer classes started in January with OHC’s largest-ever class of over 40 students to start.
Georgie Shane has been a Springfield resident for almost her whole life, and used to keep the accounting books for her husband’s business, but after hearing about OHC’s classes through a township newsletter, she knew she had to join.
“I’ve been learning new stuff each week and I’ve enjoyed the socialization very much … I just never knew about [the classes] before,” Shane said. “It’s nice to know we can go down [to OHC] anytime and they’ll help us.”
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For Bob Tarcy, there’s a lot to learn online from the basics to different systems, and the opportunity to finally get that experience was hard to pass up.
“I have fearsome [knowledge] on a phone and on a Mac — but not on a Dell, so it’s a fairly new system to me, so that’s basically why I’m coming and learning,” Tarcy said.
Tarcy wanted to thank the Springfield Township Trustees for providing the laptops many residents earned, and praised the class for being an educational resource. Both he and his wife, Roxane, earned a laptop through the program, which he said was the ultimate selling point for the classes.
“They’re informative. They take the time and they walk you through [the classes]. If there’s a problem, you raise your hand and they’re very helpful in trying to help you,” Bob said. “I did not know about Oak Hill Collaborative and I’m passing that on … They offer such great services to people especially that are not experienced with a computer, especially as we age.”
OHC will continue teaching beyond the five classes already completed, and plans to host another round of beginner-level instruction courses starting in March.
Kelly Baer, OHC’s lead Digital Navigator in Springfield, said teaching the classes has become more than just impactful.
“Growing up in a rural community where Internet was uncommon, it’s nice to be able to help Springfield Township foster positive experiences online — especially when very few residents have experience using newer tech here,” Baer said.
All classes held in Springfield are completely free and open to the public and offered in Fire Station 21.
For more information about the classes, feel free to contact Oak Hill Collaborative at: 330-406-0731.
