hoteles en CorkWith an annual budget of just about a quarter million dollars, the agency isn’t exactly awash with resources. And yet, each year Coleman delivers dignity, hope and a future to the birth parents, adoptive families and children it brings together.

Information technology has the potential to help nonprofits, like Coleman Adoption Services, do what they do even more effectively. Trouble is, when you’re so busy doing what you do, that potential can pass you right on by.

Priscilla Kamrath, Managing Director, says hers was an organization that viewed technology as an impediment to mission. With three outdated computers that weren’t networked, a single printer all by its lonesome, staff that just wasn’t ready to embrace the information age, and no access to the World Wide Web, Coleman’s technological state stood in the way of bringing more families together.

By partnering with NPower Indiana, Kamrath now describes Coleman as a nonprofit that understands how to put technology to work helping them make differences in the lives of children and families.

After a basic assessment of their technology assets and needs, Coleman has a roadmap to success. NPower helped find discounts on hardware and opened the door to a grant request that led to new, networked computer stations with Microsoft Windows and Office XP software. Everyone at Coleman has access to the Internet. And they’re learning to navigate it, as well as learning to use those new software applications, through NPower Indiana’s discounted technology training for members.

What’s that mean in the life of a child? Kamrath tells the story best:

“I recently received a call from a mother who had adopted a 5-year-old boy from China. The adoptive mother was distraught over the child’s behavior, which hinted at previous trauma, coupled with the language difficulties. We needed them to see our social worker and a professional play therapist for counseling immediately. Our social worker was busy serving other families. Prior to having internet access and the skills to use it, it would have taken me a couple weeks to track down a play therapist for the situation. I would have been on the phone for hours and hours. Through the Internet and e-mails, we had a play therapist arranged to help and our social worker was there the next day helping the family.”