Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 7B
Board of Education Appreciation Week observed
BBB advice on disposing of computers safely and securely
The Banks School System
joined a statewide celebration
recently to salute the efforts of
local school board members as
March 17-21 was proclaimed
School Board Appreciation
Week in Georgia.
The weeklong observance calls
attention to the contributions of
local boards of education.
“Citizens elect board members
to represent the community’s
voice on education matters and
set the vision for the school
district,” said Banks County
Superintendent of Schools Chris
Erwin. “Our board spends
countless hours fulfilling its
responsibilities, and this is our
opportunity to say a thank you
Front Porch Consulting will
host a one-day workshop called
“Communication For Success”
that focuses on fund-raising
and marketing for non-profit
organizations on Tuesday, May
20, at The Georgia Center for
Continuing Education at the
University of Georgia.
The workshop will deal with
how the ability to effectively
market an organization to the
community is interconnected
with the ability to raise funds.
as a community for their pub
lic service. Because they are
elected officials, they represent
a continuing commitment to a
local citizen control and deci
sion-making in education.”
Those elected officials current
ly representing the Banks school
system and their years of service
are: Ron Gardiner, chairman,
12 years; John Williams, vice
chairman, eight years; Herbert
“Bo” Garrison, 20 years; Neal
Brown, 12 years; and Ben
Ramsey, six years.
As constitutional officers of
Georgia, school board mem
bers are responsible for setting
educational policies, employ
ing school personnel, providing
Sessions will focus on creat
ing and implementing a market
ing and public relations strategy,
accessing community resources
to support a project, developing
an annual giving program and a
basic overview of grant writing.
“Communication For Success”
is open to all interested non
profit organizations and their
staff, board directors and vol
unteers.
Registration is $125 for an
organization’s first attendee and
buildings and equipment, oper
ating a transportation system
and disbursing funds. As com
munity leaders, school board
members serve as advocates
for the children in local public
schools and must study, evalu
ate, and decide what actions
are in the best interest of those
students, Erwin said.
The Georgia School Board
Association (GSBA) sponsors
the celebration. This mission
of the GSBA is to ensure excel
lence in the governance of the
local school systems by provid
ing leadership, advocacy, ser
vices, and representing the col
lective resolve of Georgia’s 180
boards of education.
$100 for each additional attend
ee.
To register for the workshop,
contact Johnathan McGinty at
706-338-2732 or johnathan@
frontporchconsulting.org. The
deadline for registration is May
14.
Front Porch Consulting pro
vides support for non-profit
organizations in the fields of
communications, fund-raising,
event coordination and long
term strategic planning.
According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, more than 250
million computers will become
obsolete in the next five years -
many ending up in landfills - but
it doesn’t mean that old technol
ogy is worthless. Many organi
zations and people, from chari
ties to ID thieves, would love
to get their hands on discarded
computers, and Better Business
Bureau (BBB) offers the follow
ing advice on how to dispose of
an obsolete PC or Mac safely and
securely.
“Computer manufacturers
depend on planned obsolescence,
which means your new PC can
be woefully behind technology
times in less than a year,” said
Fred T. Elsberry Jr., president and
CEO of the BBB serving Metro
Atlanta, Athens and Northeast
Georgia. “Unfortunately, many
Americans are not aware of the
dangers associated with improp
erly disposing of a computer n
namely ID theft and polluting the
environment.”
Simply tossing a computer out
in the trash is a bad idea for two
reasons. Not only does a com
puter store personal and finan-
cial information that a consumer
wouldn’t want getting into the
hands of ID thieves, but it is also
composed of heavy metals and
toxins that are extremely hazard
ous to the environment. In fact,
in some states, an individual runs
the risk of fines or even jail time
for improperly disposing of a
computer.
Consumers have options when
it comes to discarding a comput
er. Selling an old computer as-is
is one choice, but given that tech
nology becomes obsolete fairly
quickly, getting much money for
it can be difficult. There are also
recycling services that will take
old computers and either refur
bish them apart or take them
and dispose of the non-valuable
pieces properly.
However, BBB recommends
donating old computers to char
ity. The donation is tax deduct
ible and it can help a good cause.
For guidance on finding a worthy
cause, Techsoup.com has a list
of organizations nationwide that
accept computer donations. And
consumers should always check
out the charity with their local
BBB for local charities and the
Wise Giving Alliance at www.
bbb.org/charity for national char
ities.
Regardless of whether someone
plans to donate an old computer,
sell it, or send it off to be recy
cled, it’s important that they com
pletely erase all personal data and
information from the computer in
order to prevent ID theft. Simply
deleting files or reformatting the
hard drive is not enough since
someone with a basic understand
ing of computers will be able to
retrieve key information.
There are several free software
programs available for download
online that will erase - or wipe -
information effectively enough
to prevent ID theft. Also, many
operating systems and some anti
virus and software already come
with a wiping feature. Keep in
mind that data on personal com
puters is never completely erased
and the only way to completely
wipe out information is to physi
cally destroy the hard drive.
For more advice you can trust
on ID theft prevention and for
guidance on what to do if your
identity is stolen, visit BBB
online at www.bbb.org.
Fund-raiser nets $73,000 for The Tree House
Workshops to focus on fund-raising, marketing
Some things about MainStreet Newspapers
•About the newspapers: The
five MainStreet Newspapers pub
lications - The Madison County
Journal, The Jackson Herald, The
Commerce News, The Braselton
News and The Banks County
News - are printed and delivered
once a week.
•About delivery: The newspa
pers are delivered to the post
office and, from there, to sub
scribers’ post office boxes or
home mailboxes. The newspapers
do not have “paper boxes” at peo
ple’s homes and are not delivered
by carriers. However, the papers
are delivered to news racks in
various locations across Madison,
Jackson and Banks counties.
•About subscriptions:
Subscribers are sent a renewal
notice before their subscription
runs out. A quick way to check to
see when a subscription ends is to
look for the expiration date on the
mailing label.
For more information on the
above items, or for other details
about the newspapers, call
The Madison County Journal
at 706-795-2567, The Jackson
Herald and The Braselton News
at 706-367-5233; The Commerce
News at 706-335-2927; or
The Banks County News at
706-677-3491.
The Tree House’s 10th annual
“A Night of Hope for Children”
dinner and auction recently raised
more than $73,000 to prevent
child abuse.
The Tree House, Inc., Winder, is
a non-profit organization whose
mission is to reduce the impact
and occurrence of child abuse
through counseling, educating,
support, and nurturing children
and families in Barrow, Banks
and Jackson counties.
More than 250 people attended
the fund-raiser on March 14 at
the Winder Community Center.
The event included a raffle for a
Harley-Davidson Fatboy, and a
silent and live auction.
“It was a truly enjoyable night,”
said Beverly Jackson, auction
committee chairman. “Every per
son there and many people that
could not attend helped to make
this event a huge success.”
The event set a new fund-rais
ing record for The Tree House.
“YOUR CHILDREN 1
A BANKS COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
ARTSHOW
WHO ARE YOUR CHILDREN ?
The Students /Artists of the Banks County High
School Art Program.
The show highlights the talents that exists here in
the youth of Banks County and the energy and joy
of creating.
Come see
YOUR CHILDREN
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2377 Homer Rd.
Commerce, GA
706-335-2800
800-448-7454