The outfit calls itself Families Unlimited Network, FUN for short.

I call it smart.

FUN grew from the good intentions and good works of the members of University Place Presbyterian Church, a powerhouse that supports missions abroad and at home.

On the home front, they made a wise move. They incorporated their programs as a nonprofit agency. They may be guided by faith, but they hold themselves accountable for the responsible operation of their programs for young people and families.

This week, that discipline earned a $15,000 computer lab for young people.

It’s a gift that some would have refused. In fact, some have.

GTECH Corp., the company that donated the lab, makes its money on gambling. It provides information technology for the Washington State Lottery and many other government-authorized lotteries worldwide.

Though schools have accepted $2.7 billion from the lottery since 1982, some private groups will not take money associated with gambling.

“Some say they don’t think there’s a place for lottery or gaming money in their program,” said Tony Saragnese, GTECH’s regional vice president.

The FUN people were deliberative. After all, the national Presbyterian Church has a long history of formal opposition to all kinds of gambling. In the 1970s, the national church urged members to push for the end of all legalized gambling, including lotteries and bingo.

FUN leaders discussed the issue at length, then voted to accept the gift.

They’re using it to improve their after-school program, called The SPOT.

Through the spring, GTECH volunteers wired, painted, and installed carpet, furniture and seven Dell computers and software. They worked with Doug Stoeckicht, The SPOT’s director, and the three young adults who staff the program.

When one of those young people worried the room didn’t have a comfy spot for kids to relax, GTECH’s Kathy Jump had a classic techie response. She logged on, went e-shopping and bought a floor pillow the size of a minor atoll. Already, one young student has curled up on it after a very bad day and talked her troubles through with a SPOT staffer.

And that was before this week’s formal dedication of the new lab.

As dedications go, this was more direct than flowery.

This was the 128th lab GTECH has installed since 1999 through its After School Advantage program, Saragnese said.

Its computers have serious work to do. They’ll cut into the juvenile crime that flourishes in the afternoon and early evening hours. They’ll keep kids engaged in academics. They’ll hack away at the digital divide between kids whose parents can afford technology and those whose parents can barely afford food.

Despite University Place’s reputation for affluence, it is home to plenty of needy families, said Tom Schauer, a board member of FUN, which also runs a food bank used by 1,800 people a month.

Grants are tight, he said. No one was even dreaming of computer labs.

“GTECH offered it to us,” he said. “We did not have to ask.”

The computers will be huge for the 30 to 40 Narrows View and Drum Intermediate school students who come to The SPOT now. The program costs each student about $100 a month, although about a third of the students have scholarship assistance.

“We have an hour of tutoring time,” Stoeckicht said. “The kids bring their homework. We have a really great relationship with the school district. We provide a safe location, child care and tutoring. We build mentorship relationships.”

If anyone had doubts about accepting the gift, they should have seen their mission – those kids – in action. When the bigwigs cut the ribbon to open the lab, the students tumbled over each other to get in and take a spin on the new technology.

The FUN directors focused on those young people, and had the grace to accept a legitimate company’s generosity.

That’s beyond smart. That’s wise.

Kathleen Merryman: 253-597-8677

kathleen.merryman@thenewstribune.com