Mozilla's great community service project

What a brilliant idea! Use the power of the web to connect schools, libraries, organizations, people with great ideas about how computers could benefit them to all the tech heads roaming the web--able and willing to help.

September 14-21, 2009 is Mozilla Service Week.

From the folks who bring us Firefox and Thunderbird for free, here's some of their own words about what this week can be:

Mozilla believes everyone should know how to use the Internet, have easy access to it, and have a good experience when they're online. By utilizing our community's talents for writing, designing, programming, developing, and all-around technical know-how, we believe we can make the Web a better place for everyone.

It's not just for ubergeeks either. Anyone who uses a computer can help someone who doesn't. From Mozilla Service Week FAQ:

I'd really like to help and make a difference, but I don't have many technical skills. What can I do?
The Internet makes people's lives better in the largest but also in the smallest of ways. You don't have to code or design – we know you have lots of skills that could help people. For example, you could show someone how to use Skype, how to shop online, how to register for a webmail account, or get email on their phone. All of these things might seem small, but they could make a big difference in someone's online world. Every action counts!

As someone who's helped wire an elementary school, hooked new parents in the US to grandparents in India via webcam and skype, and had a blast watching my 91-year old father learn his way around both Macs and PCs, I can securely say: Do it! Get involved! You will reap so much more than you give.

...and the hidden bonus is that, in one week, you could expand your community from a few blocks to an entire planet; what could be cooler than that?