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Upgrades & Training Room helping us serve you!

The summer upgrades to faster computers running Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office 2003 Professional have resulted in less computer downtime for you and fewer maintenance issues for Café staff.  Also, two job-search programs, run by the Café and The Career Place, are using the Training Room computers on a regular basis. All Training Room computers, and three computers in the Main Room, also have Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (tutorial) and Quicken 99 (checkbook) software. 

The upgrades were set up by Pedro Martinez, an intern through The Career Place who added the Café to his internship, and Bill Martin, our Front Desk Attendant, Database Administrator, and all-around tech support volunteer.  Central Bank's Ed Ligon, an Advisory Committee member, donated the computer stands that fit under the workstations. 

Bill has been volunteering at the Café for more than a year and has done several outstanding projects to keep the Café running smoothly. He attended a weekend conference run by the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) and gained new insight into adaptive software for people who are visually impaired or need help with English literacy. He'll be helping us with that software as we initiate it at the Café. 

Installation and initial testing of the software will be done by Pat Hill, Policy and Training Coordinator for the Massachusetts Assistive Technology Partnership (MATP). 

• New Programs and New Staffing

• Celebrating our 4th Anniversary & 5,000th Member

Gateway Program & Staff

You'll see a new face at the Café for the next 6 months as we initiated a new program at the Café.  Kiran Raina is our Community Resource Specialist for Gateway, a new mentoring program for people who are making the transition from homelessness. Kiran will be teaching basic computer skills, job and housing search, Internet resources and searches, and providing support for program participants to find stable housing and jobs.

Gateway is supported by a grant through the America Connects Consortium (ACC). ACC is a partnership of Education Development Center, the Community Technology Centers' Network, and the National Institute on Out-of-School Time at The Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College.

4th Anniversary and 5,000th Member

In 4 years, we have had 5,000 people become members and take advantage of our resources. From free computer and Internet access, to job search help, computer assistance, and low cost courses, we provide an invaluable service to community members who don't have a computer, Internet access, or the skills to use technology on their own. 

 Computer Upgrades

We're upgrading all the computers, beginning with our training/conference room, which will have 6 students computers. All the computers will run Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office 2003 Professional.  Computers in the training area will have Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (tutorial software) and Quicken (checkbook/financial software). Some computers will include adaptive software for people who are blind or visually impaired. Several computers in the main area will also have the Mavis typing tutorial.  We are writing grant proposals to try to add more adaptive equipment to the main room.

Upgrades should be completed by the end of May.

School's opening, Celebrate Malden, and more courses. 
Check the Calendar Page for information.

We're getting noticed!

Interest in the Café web site has increased. We're pleased to add a section to our community interest area listing the various arts & culture venues in Malden, as well as listing related events on our calendar page.

Celebrate Malden

Culture-Cuisine-Community

While this event was canceled due to the horrendous rain storm that day, MATV continued with its 15-hour telethon, joined by the Cyber Café @ Malden Square. Café volunteers cooked hot dogs and hamburgers outside the station to help everyone enjoy the day despite the storm.

It's been 3 1/2 years since we opened the Café. From 8 new members on our first day, we've grow to more than 4,000 registered members. Whether they're one-time patrons or "regulars" who use the Café daily for months, each one has been served by Café staff and volunteers. 

We continue to serve 60-80 patrons daily. If you have benefitted from the Café's services, please drop us a line and let us know this. We rely on private donations and private/public grants to operate. Having a record of our "success stories" will help us continue these necessary services for the Malden community.

Cyber Café Celebrating 3rd Anniversary

Join us on May 14th (Friday) for cookies and punch and take a look around.  Soon we'll be re-opening the back room for courses and computer access.

MATV receives grant for Cyber Café

Malden Access Television (MATV) received a grant to help low wage earners take advantage of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and file their federal taxes electronically. 

Tax preparation assistance sessions will take place at the Cyber Café and the Newland Media Education Center. Full details are on the EITC page or follow this link to the press release. Press Release

In the 2 1/2 years since we opened the Café, we've had 3,845 people sign up for membership; whether they're one-time patrons or "regulars" who use the Café daily for months, each one has been served by the Café staff and volunteers. 

We continue to serve 60-80 patrons daily. If you have benefitted from the Café's services, please drop us a line and let us know this. We rely on private donations and private/public grants to operate. Having a record of our "success stories" will help us continue these necessary services for the Malden community.