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The Timothy Smith Fund for "Old Roxbury" was established on March 8, 1996 by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the City of Boston through the acceptance of a bequest distribution from the Timothy Smith Fund which is held at Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company. Mary Ellen and Timothy Smith directed in their last will and testament that the proceeds of their bequest be utilized to benefit the highest number of residents of the "old" City of Roxbury as possible.

The administration of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, in order to fulfill the spirit and intent of the Smith's bequest, has created, with the approval of the Smith Fund Trustees, the Timothy Smith Fund for "Old Roxbury" as a vehicle to bring the benefits of computer technology to as wide a population within the target area as possible. To that end the Timothy Smith Fund initiated a five year program which has and is establishing a series of "Computer Learning and Educational Centers" at non-profit organizations throughout that section of Boston known as Roxbury at the time of that City's merger with Boston in 1868.

The Timothy Smith Fund has authorized grants in excess of $4 million to thirty-seven charitable organizations in Roxbury for the creation of an integrated consortium of technology centers at their distinct facilities. The Smith Fund grants are utilized by each non-profit organization to acquire state-of-the-art computers and properly outfit each center with computer peripherals (printers/scanners) and furnishings (workstations and adjustable chairs). The Centers' computers are connected to an internal network through a server and externally via the Internet. The average center has twelve to fifteen computers, two printers, one scanner, a digital camera and twelve to fifteen workstations and chairs.

Once established, these Centers will provide in total more than I million hours of computer access to be utilized by the Fund's non-profit partners for a wide variety of programs including job training, educational enrichment and open access. Funding for these activities is being provided by foundation, corporate, and governmental agencies and through user fees. The Timothy Smith Fund is also an endowment fund and has pledged to provide the more than $7.5 million to $12.5 million in projected funds necessary to maintain these Centers' state-of-the-art status through 2019.

It is projected that all of these Centers will have their technology equipment replaced every three to four years. Mr. Smith was a well known merchant whose store was located in Dudley Square. He was a member of the board of managers of the City Missionary Society, a vice-president of the Roxbury Latin School and a senior deacon of the Eliot Congregational Church of Roxbury. He and his wife of 58 years passed away on the same day in 1918 (March 31) at the age of 83 and 80 respectively at their home on Roxbury's Elm Hill Street.