Meet Lorraine

Lorraine story is not unique. She is willing to tell her story so others who cannot speak for themselves can be heard and understood.

Lorraine, now 48, grew up in a family of 11 children. Her childhood was rough in a number of ways, including the fact that school was always a struggle. Very early on, Lorraine was labeled a special education child, and the combination of all these things resulted in her never believing she had any intelligence, that she could ever "be" anything—or even that she could compete on an equal footing with other people. 

After 25+ years of working class jobs, Lorraine was injured in a car accident and was forced to retrain. Her family urged her to try college. Loraine resisted when she learned students had to use computers. The computer was a symbol of "what smart people" use—and this was a barrier to her understanding that she could be successful in school. During this time, Lorraine was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which she reports was “one of the greatest moments in my life.” Suddenly, life made more sense. Before the diagnosis, “I spent years thinking I was stupid, inferior, and a danger to others. When I was diagnosed autistic, I discovered my intelligence and capabilities. For that, I am forever grateful”. After additional prodding by her family, she enrolled in an adult education computer class to see if she could learn how to use a computer. 

Lorraine was fortunate to have had a patient and supportive teacher and discovered that, like others who fall on the Autistic Spectrum, the computer was very friendly and a great communication tool. To her shock and amazement, Lorraine ended up graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Oregon, with a Bachelor's of Education degree in Family and Community Services. Degree in hand, she went to work as a Social Service Specialist in the Oregon Department of Child Welfare in 2000, out of a desire to help children who were in situations similar to those in her own life. Because of her own struggles, Lorraine has always been determined to do whatever she could to make life easier for other children than it was for her growing up. Technology ended up being the tool she needed.

MacRenewal, now called NextStep, was born. After her first computer died, Lorraine discovered she had a knack at fixing computers, and so she set about finding old ones, refurbishing them, and then gifting them to children and families who couldn’t afford to buy them—many of these recipients were the people with whom she was working at Child Welfare. She quickly discovered that demand, and need, was very high. She moved her "hobby" from her own single car garage into her mother-in-law's double car garage—but quickly outgrew that space as well. She found some other folks in her community who were refurbishing computers and had the desire to address the digital divide, but not the means to find community members who needed access to technology. She brought the hobbyists, the geeks, and those who needed computers together.

In 2004 she took a giant leap: she quit her job and moved her little enterprise out of the garage into a real warehouse. Lorraine continued to work on building services and programs to address the needs of the community and today NextStep is a thriving community service organization with 34 employees, 14 volunteer staff, an ongoing group of Lane County Master Recyclers, and hundreds of volunteers. NextStep now occupies over 33,000 square feet in two separate locations—much of which is training space for community members. 

Lorraine is the a member of the DEQ Oregon E-Cycles workgroup, Committee Chair for the Lane County Resource Recovery Advisory Committee, and a City of Eugene Sustainability Commissioner. She is a Board Member of the GreenLane Sustainable Business Network, a member of the Lane Community College Computer Information Technology Advisory Committee, and is a proud Lane County Master Recycler. Lorraine is a passionate advocate for people on the autism spectrum, for trauma survivors, and for people who experience disabilities.  Lorraine believes that all people are brilliant, no matter what label they carry, and should be treated with respect and dignity. Watch Lorraine's story on YouTube

Awards and Recognition

2009 etown E-Acheivement Award sponsored by the Bohemia Foundation 

Listen to the etown radio interview

2008 Volvo for Life American Home Town Hero Award for the Environment

Lorraine Kerwood was selected as one of three extraordinary heroes to receive $100,000 and a Hero Award designed by Tiffany & Co. for her work to improve the environment. The Volvo for Life Award is given to Kerwood for exemplary work, done through the creation of Eugene Oregon based NextStep Recycling non-profit, in support of both the environment and a broad spectrum of underserved communities.

2008 Lane Community College Distinguished Alumni Award

Awarded to Lorraine Kerwood, founder and director of NextStep Recycling, a nonprofit that not only recycles computers and electronic equipment, but also distributes rebuilt computers locally and abroad. Started at Lane in 1987 taking adult education classes, then college credit classes, participated in the Transitions to Success Program for women. Received a Bachelor's in Education degree from the University of Oregon then enrolled in Lane's Nonprofit Management program in the Business Development Center, where she remains a client. NextStep provides training, internships, and even employment to Lane students.

2008 Eugene Chamber of Commerce Women's Business Leader of the YearLorraine Kerwood was awarded the first annual Women's Business Leader of the Year Award for her outstanding service and commitment to our community.

2003 Lane County Commissioners TrashBuster Award Individual category

"TrashBuster" Awards denotes a wide spectrum of activity beyond just recycling. The TrashBuster Awards are given around November 15th, which has been declared by the Federal and State governments as America Recycles Day.