BRADENTON, Fla. (SNN) – For nearly a decade, a Bradenton man has been on a mission to close the digital divide — one refurbished laptop at a time.
Seventy-nine-year-old Craig Clark, better known around town as the “Tech Fairy,” has turned his love of technology into a full-time passion project. Inside his East Bradenton home, Clark spends hours repairing computers that might otherwise end up in the trash — and then gives them away to people who can’t afford one.
“This got started because I wound up with five computers in my house,” Clark said with a laugh. “They needed to go somewhere. They weren’t valuable to me — but they were valuable to other people who didn’t have them.”
That simple idea has grown into a decade-long effort. Clark has now refurbished and donated more than 700 laptops, all collected through the neighborhood app Nextdoor.
Residents post when they have an old computer to give away, and Clark takes it from there — wiping drives, fixing parts, and making sure every device is ready for someone new.
But finding who to give them to doesn’t happen online. Clark says he prefers meeting people face-to-face — often while grabbing a bite to eat.
“If my wife would cook, I couldn’t be successful,” he joked. “It was at least sixty that worked at McDonald’s over the years. Waffle House — eight or ten. There was a Freddy’s restaurant girl — she was really nice.”
When asked how those conversations even start, he grinned. “Weirdly sometimes.”
Over the years, Clark has kept photos of nearly every person he’s helped — snapshots of students, parents, and workers who needed a way to get connected. “Those two fraternal twins at the Goodwill — loved them,” he recalled.
For Clark, the work is about more than just technology. It’s about staying active and giving others a fair shot at success.
“I will not sit and watch boring television,” he said. “I don’t read books. To keep my brain from falling asleep, I have to have a challenge all the time. I’m really good at golf, and I’m really good at computers.”
If you’d like to help Craig Clark by donating a laptop or funds for repairs, you can email tech-fairy1@outlook.com.
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