SDM Foundation: Where to turn for free technology help

By Jack Drees

When addressing her relationship with technology, Malden citizen Linda Husar says, “My gosh, my problems are so wide-ranging.” Despite her frequent difficulties, Husar has a money-saving, attentive, and convenient solution minutes north of where she lives.

Technology changes and evolves every day. For some people, change comes fast, and it is hard to keep up. That is where the SDM Foundation in Melrose steps in to help. Whether people are looking for help with their new phone or are trying to figure out how to use Zoom, SDM Foundation is willing to sit down with clients to get to the bottom of their tech troubles. The organization is also home to several classes on LEGO robotics to video editing to coding. All ages are welcome to use SDM’s services, whether it is to learn about their own devices, to skills they might use later in life.

Founded in 2015 following his death, the SDM Foundation is named after Stuart Donald McIntosh. He left his estate to SDM Associate Kristin Thorp, who worked with him for three decades, to set up the organization. SDM Associate Sara Murray says McIntosh “was very keen on making technology accessible to people. He felt that the advantages to technology were enormous, that a lot of people get left behind by how quickly things move on, and was a great trailblazer in making sure that technical language and technical accessibility was right there for everybody.”

The organization opened a Melrose location in 2016 on Main Street, and moved to a bigger space, also on Main Street, in 2018.

Perhaps the biggest selling point for the SDM Foundation is that it does not cost a penny. Every one of their services, no matter how complex, is absolutely free. The organization will do just about anything to help people with their tech-related needs without leaving a hole in their wallet. Anything from helping people with their printers, assisting them with using their computers, brushing up on modern skills like coding, or even updating their resume. The one thing they will not do, as stated on their “About Us” section on their website, is hardware repairs.

SDM also accepts donations, but no one is required to give them money for any services they provide. According to their 2023 annual report, in addition to securing their first grant, SDM received 175 donations during the year. That is up from 50 in 2022. The report gives examples for what such donations could provide. A $100 donation can cover the cost of one appointment. On average, SDM holds anywhere between 12 to 20 appointments in a day. A $1,000 donation provides a computer or tablet, for every day use. A $10,000 donation would allow SDM to expand their hours for a year, opening service to a new audience.

Despite being located in Melrose and serving several clients in the city, the SDM Foundation welcomes clients of all ages and types even if they live just outside of town or further away. They are willing to sit down with clients inside of their Melrose building on Main Street, on Zoom, or help them through a phone call.

The organization also has its ties to Malden businesses and organizations. According to SDM Associate Thorp, some of the organization’s Malden referrals include the Malden Public Library, the Immigrant Learning Center, and MassHire. During an interview, SDM Associate Murray said Malden Housing also uses their services. When the SDM Foundation is not busy assisting organizations, they are happy to help people like Husar, a Malden citizen who says she always has troubles with technology and often uses SDM to solve her issues.

SDM Foundation not only serves as a great way for people like Husar to solve technology issues, but it has easily become a go-to solution. “It’s a really wonderful opportunity to use SDM on a regular basis,” she says. Conveniently, Husar lives by the Melrose border, making her commute to SDM a short one. Unlike certain people in her situation, she does not have grandchildren, a resource some technologically-challenged people can rely on. With the help of SDM associates, including Thatcher Ackerman and Thomas Gallagani, Husar was able pull through issues such as retrieving her emails or figuring out how to navigate her messages not having any content.

According to Husar, for each appointment, the associates want to know what problems or questions you have, “I usually come in with a lot more questions than just the one. I usually wait until I have three or four questions,” she says. But SDM’s associates have come to realize that not each appointment or client is equal. Some will come in with an issue as everyday as needing to learn how to use Zoom or as complex as recovering their computer.

SDM’s associates realize they sometimes have their challenges. Murray says it is hard to solve technical problems when doing appointments over the phone, highlighting the beauty of video chat or even doing appointments in person. “Zoom appointments work very well. They tend to work a little slower, because we cannot go in and point out things quite as easily as we can when sitting next to somebody. And then our 1-on-1s are definitely the most effective that we do. But we do a lot of Zoom appointments since COVID when we went entirely to Zoom for awhile,” she says. Husar also has seen her share of roadblocks at SDM as a client. “If they don’t know something they’ll tell you,” she says.

SDM does a lot more than helping clients with technology issues. The organization’s appointments are always open to anyone who wants one. But there are also classes for younger people. Throughout the summer, SDM has been offering classes on various technology activities including video editing, LEGO robotics, and digital art, just to name a few. The classes are divided into age groups and require advance registration.

Since 2017, the organization has been keeping up a blog, with new content posted to their website every week. While the blog posts may not have anyone’s names attached in the end-product, they are reflective of a community effort. “Somebody will write the initial draft, then Kristen and I will review it, and then we will publish it,” Murray says. “Everybody’s written one at some point or another.” The blog topics can be anything as broad as “What is a Podcast?” to as informational as “Xfinity Data Breach: What You Need to Know” to as instructional as “How to Use Wireless Printing.” Blogging is one of the “administrative tasks” Murray says associates do in the background, in addition to creating videos, updating a newsletter, and posting to social media.

Technology has evolved so quickly that it comes as no surprise to clients like Husar to find herself visiting SDM regularly. She says she has always had a problem with technology. Such problems are something SDM often tries to solve for their clients. But SDM is much more than a technology solutions organization. Their motto is “making technology easy.” In essence, they enable people to learn about technology so their clients can be empowered to use it better. For people on the younger side, the organization has plenty of classes and lessons on several tech-related topics.

SDM recognizes the supersonic pace of technology’s evolution. Today, the company is seeing an increase in small business clients and questions about artificial intelligence. The organization is also noticing people’s needs to be successful in the job market, as companies continue to ask potential hires to keep up with the latest technological advances, skills, and platforms.

“As we become more tech-based, there will always be people who don’t have direct access to technology, whether that’s affordability or accessibility,” Murray says. “Even if you have access to technology, it does not necessarily mean you know how to do everything. So we certainly intend to be around for as long as we can be.”

The SDM Foundation is located at 406 Main St. in Melrose. Their hours are Monday – Saturday, 9am – 4pm.

Jack Drees is a contributing journalist for Neighborhood View since 2021. He also currently writes for 7 News (WHDH-Boston) and for his own movie blog, Flicknerd.com.