Due to the swift and generous response of the SF community, we have now received enough money to replace the four student laptops stolen July 4 from rooms at the Clarion West residence. Thank you all so much for your very timely help. We'd especially like to thank Jay Lake, Cory Doctorow, and the many other blogger/donors for their generosity and for alerting others to the need for money and laptops.
News of the students' loss spread within hours, and friends, alumni, and writers from around the world offered loans of laptops and donations to help students replace their computers. "If we collect funds that are much in excess of the cost of replacing the stolen computers, we will return them proportionally to the donors," said workshop administrator Leslie Howle. "The use of PayPal makes this relatively easy to do." She added, "We are all overwhelmed, and the students are immensely grateful. They were devastated by this theft, and it's been amazing to see the community rally to support them."
This is the first time in Clarion West's more than 25 years of workshops that a burglary has happened. The theft occurred while students were in class, and was discovered immediately afterwards. Workshop administrators called the Seattle Police Department and have taken steps to increase residence security.
