Help Computers Advancing Education Continue Their Mission to Provide Free Computers to Space Coast Community

Program operates out of Riverview Elementary

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — For more than two decades, Freemont Freebie Bassett of Computers Advancing Education has been leading an effort that has changed lives across Brevard County.

Long before the year 2000, Bassett established a nonprofit dedicated to receiving donated computers, upgrading them, and giving them away free of charge to those in need, including students and the elderly.

The program operates out of Riverview Elementary, a Brevard County school building, where a steady team of volunteers works tirelessly to keep the mission alive.

Many have been donating their time for years, and their efforts have allowed countless families, students, and organizations to access the technology they otherwise might not have been able to afford.

The process is straightforward but not without challenges. Computers arrive from companies and individuals throughout the region, often missing key components.

In most cases, large corporations remove or destroy hard drives before donating, even though the nonprofit has access to NASA-rated scrubbing equipment to securely clear data. The absence of these drives presents a financial hurdle, as replacements must be purchased before the computers can be made functional.

This past year alone, the organization received several hundred laptops in excellent condition—yet without hard drives. Today, more than 500 laptops sit on the shelves ready to be distributed, stalled only by the lack of funds to buy the necessary parts.

Over the years, the nonprofit, known as CAEI, has benefited from local grants and charitable contributions, but like many organizations, those resources are becoming harder to secure.

What has never wavered is the group’s commitment to the community.

Every computer that leaves the building goes directly into the hands of someone who needs it, with no cost attached.

Bassett and his team remain steadfast in their mission, but the need for support is more urgent than ever. Without new funding streams, the hundreds of waiting laptops will remain unused—despite being only one component away from serving students, families, and organizations across the county.

For the volunteers, this work is more than just repairing machines. It is about connecting people to opportunity, education, and a better quality of life.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW YOU CAN HELP.

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