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One day software engineer Patrick McConlogue was walking to work in New York City when he decided to make an unorthodox offer to a homeless man.
He approached Leo Grand, who lives on the streets, and gave him a choice: $100, or a laptop and the opportunity to learn how to write computer code. Along with the second choice McConlogue pledged to spend an hour a day for two months teaching Grand a valuable job skill.
“I came to an immediate decision,’’ Grand told TODAY Monday. “The hundred dollars will last you for a short time. Learning how to code will last you for a lifetime.”
So McConlogue, 23, bought Grand, 37, a laptop and three textbooks, and began teaching him the language of computers. It was a lifeline for Grand, a computer lover who said he’s been sleeping in shelters for two years since the rent at his former apartment shot up and he was evicted.
Grand has proven to be an apt student under McConlogue’s tutelage. “The speed at which I’m going through these lessons is insane,’’ McConlogue told TODAY. “We barely cover things twice. His memory is really, really good.”
The lessons are going so well, in fact, that Grand is working on a free app designed to promote carpooling to combat global warming. He hopes to land a job and a place to live soon, while helping defy stereotypes about the homeless.
“All homeless people are mentally ill, lazy, unintelligent — that’s the stigma,’’ he said. “It doesn’t really matter [about] your living arrangements as long as you’ve got the mindset to do it and the will.”
“You give a man a fish, you feed him for a day,’’ McConlogue said. “You teach a man to fish, and you watch him change the world.”
http://www.today.com/news/good-samaritan-teaches-homeless-man-computer-programming-2D11650630
You missed out on the part of this after this initial story where Leo was arrested and had his laptop confiscated by the police.
Good memory. 🙂 They arrested him back on Oct 14 for sleeping in a park and confiscated all of his belongings. It was the day before his 1st interview. (This was a new interview that took place this morning). No idea if he ever got his belongings back. I doubt it. 🙁
http://endtimesnews.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/update-homeless-coder-released-nyc-cops-steal-his-laptop/
This one has a contact for the precict at the bottom.
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/10/police-prevent-homeless-man-from-free.html
I didn’t realise it was a new interview. I have such limited bandwidth I have to be very selective of what I videos I watch online. Did this new interview have any mention of the arrest or is that fact one for the memory hole?
Not a word.
It’s a “Feel Good” segment.