not represent a worldwide view of the subject . you may improve this article discuss the issue on the talk page or create a new article as appropriate . july 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message seniornet type 501 c 3 non profit organization industry education headquarters fort myers florida 33907 usa key people mary furlong founder leslie m. smith board chairman revenue unknown number of employees 6 full time 4 part time website www.seniornet.org seniornet www.seniornet.org is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization . it is the nation s premier and most respected nonprofit organization specializing in computer and internet education for adults 55 and over and those in need . seniornet s mission is to provide older adults education on computer technologies enhancing their lives and enabling them to share their knowledge and wisdom . in addition to providing education to older adults seniornet furnishes computer skill education to veterans the underserved disabled and those with impairments . since 1986 seniornet has empowered more than two million people by providing encouragement lifelong learning opportunities and new worlds to explore via the internet . seniornet provides an extensive curriculum of over 130 courses delivered by thousands of volunteer instructors and mentors at seniornet computer learning centers via a proven seniors teaching seniors methodology and by utilizing an intergenerational approach whereby high school and college students teach the latest technology . at seniornet computer learning centers members can take classes at all experience levels and learn new computing skills like computer fundamentals internet and e mail digital photography buying and selling on ebay avoiding scams how to secure your computer how to use the latest technology gadgets like the ipad smart watches iphone fit bit and etc. selecting and downloading applications and more all in a friendly low pressure environment . seniornet computer learning centers are operated by professional volunteers across the nation with a standardized curriculum provided by seniornet headquarters . seniornet based in fort myers florida has approximately 6 000 members is staffed by 3 000 volunteers and has more than 30 learning centers in the united states including indian reservations and underserved areas . seniornet also has international affiliations in nepal korea china russia new zealand and sweden . the source of seniornet s income is generated from membership dues class fees the altruistic donations of individuals and the generous support and sponsorship of corporations and foundations . note change in headquarters 5237 summerlin commons blvd suite 314 fort myers florida 33907 contents 1 background 2 milestones 3 awards 4 external links 5 social media background edit the organization was founded in 1986 by dr. mary furlong with headquarters originally located in san francisco ca . in 2005 headquarters were relocated to santa clara ca . seniornet grew out of a research project funded by the markle foundation to determine how computers and telecommunications could enhance the lives of older adults . with an interest in how technology enhanced the lives of older adults mary furlong sought out a funding source . she encountered much skepticism as she tried to find funding for a program to support seniors using computers . in 1986 the new york based markle foundation led by lloyd n. morrisett recognized the potential that existed and funded a research project based at the university of san francisco . five learning centers were opened with twenty seniors that year . apple computer donated computers to the individuals and centers . over the next several years seniornet earned respect in the community and gained new sponsors which led to the opening of more learning centers . around this time the organization started to receive national press attention which caused a flood of interest from seniors from across the country . milestones edit 1986 seniornet opens their first learning centers . 1987 newsline seniornet s quarterly newsletter makes its debut . 1988 the first national conference is held at the university of san francisco . the theme is building a community of computer using seniors . sponsors include apple computer pacific telesis the markle foundation and the ophthalmologic surgery society . 1990 seniornet is incorporated as a 501c 3 educational non profit organization and establishes its first independent headquarters in san francisco . don rawitch writes and debuts the seniornet song . 1992 seniornet goes global with a new learning center opened in wellington new zealand here . this year ibm becomes a major sponsor and supporter sponsoring twelve new centers in cooperation with other companies and later co sponsoring seven more learning centers along with nynex . 1993 national press attention from cnn cbs the wall street journal the new york times and usa today . 1997 seniornet launches a new program the solutions forum sponsored by met life to allow seniors to collaborate on the internet to address important national and global issues . ann wrixton becomes seniornet s executive director . 1998 in collaboration with microsoft the aarp and sony lifetime connections seniornet introduces over 50 000 seniors across the u.s. to computers . seniornet launches seniornet at sea a program with world explorer cruises to teach computers on board cruise ships . 1999 seniornet earns the inaugural webby award for best community site . southwestern bell and pg & e sponsor a consumer education center drkoop.com sponsors a healthy aging center and charles schwab sponsors an investing education center . 2001 the ebay foundation pledges a 5 year one million dollar grant to seniornet to help bridge the digital divide . seniornet partners with seniorworld japan to develop learning centers in japan . 2002 seniornet embarks on a nationally televised public service announcement about their programs supported by a grant from the skoll foundation . 2003 seniornet serves as the test site for ibm s web adaptation technology to provide visual and auditory support for individuals viewing web sites . peoplechart funds and produces an online medical records center for seniornet . it was approved for association with the committee on non governmental organizations of the dept. of public information of the united nations to disseminate information about aging and technology . seniornet becomes a pbs program club and offers the first program club discussion on the internet . 2004 kristin fabos a former board of directors member becomes executive director of seniornet . a national alliance is formed with the non partisan by the people to engage individuals in civic issues . 2005 with funding from seniorcorps and the ups foundation seniornet establishes a retired technology volunteers program to identify recruit and support older adults who use computer technology in volunteer work in their communities . 2006 seniornet celebrates its 20th anniversary . it has a new focus on under served older adults . it will work over the next several years to bring computer access and education to older adults in under served communities . seniornet is also opening learning centers on five native american reservations through an ibm grant and three scholarship based learning centers through a grant from the hrc foundation . 2007 seniornet opens its first spanish language learning center in corpus christi texas . 2010 awards edit seniornet was awarded the 1999 nonprofit technology award by omb watch for the metlife solutions forum . in 1999 seniornet earned the first webby award for best community site seniornet s web site was named among of the top ten rated web sites devoted to seniors by emarketer the international authority on business online . over 75 web sites were evaluated . seniornet was once again selected as the best community site for seniors by yahoo internet life magazine in its list of the 100 best web sites for 2000 . in 2007 seniornet received the susan g. hadden pioneer award from the alliance for public technology in recognition for its dedication to empowering older adults through technology . external links edit seniornet.org official website seniornet.org multilanguage multilanguage website social media edit http seniornet.org blog official blog https www.facebook.com seniornet official facebook page https twitter.com seniornetorg official twitter page https www.youtube.com channel ucsqzkc be5ng4udbft4uhtg official youtube channel https www.pinterest.com seniornetorg official pinterest page http seniornetorg.tumblr.com official tumblr http www.stumbleupon.com stumbler seniornetorg official stumbleupon 1 https plus.google.com 116009756819869820822 official google https www.flickr.com photos 131626105 n04 official flickr v t e webby awards winner 1999 award in the category community awards ceremonies 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 list of winners retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title seniornet & oldid 673543118 categories charities for the elderlynon profit organizations based in herndon virginiaseniors organizationswebby award winnershidden categories articles with limited geographic scope from july 2013pages using infobox company with unsupported parameters navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages fran ais edit links this page was last modified on 28 july 2015 at 22 39 . text is 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