Computers4Kids (C4K) has announced that it will be the recipient of the Best Virginia Mentoring Program award to be presented at the 4th Annual Awards Banquet of the Virginia Mentoring Partnership to be held at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. Each year the Virginia Mentoring Partnership salutes the contributions made by mentoring programs, its volunteers, and staff to the life and welfare of young people in the Commonwealth.

The award ceremony is being held in conjunction with National Mentoring Month (January) and National Thank Your Mentor Day (January 25). In recognition of both these events, Computers4Kids has been conducting a month-long mentor recruitment drive, which has included airing radio and television PSAs, and will hold a mentor appreciation dinner for current mentors on the evening of January 25th.

Established in 1999, Computers4Kids is a Charlottesville non-profit organization whose goal is to improve low income youths’ computer and learning skills through caring mentorship, structured training, a vibrant learning environment, and access to a computer at home. Students are paired with a volunteer mentor and together they creatively explore various aspects of the computer and technology. The mentor/student interaction is as much about friendship and support as it is about education.

Keiter, Stephens, Hurst, Gary & Shreaves, P.C. and Robert L. Tobey and Company, PLLC recently announced the merger of their Charlottesville practices. The combined Charlottesville practice will operate under the name Keiter Stephens Tobey. This merger enhances both Firms' presence and broadens the array of services available in the Charlottesville area.

The office is located at 414 Third Street N.E., in downtown Charlottesville, VA. Keiter Stephens Tobey will have access to all the services and support of Keiter, Stephens, Hurst, Gary & Shreaves, headquartered in Richmond, VA. Charlottesville area CPAs include: Robert L. Tobey, Kinda Sandridge, Roger Higgins, and John Simmonette.

The UVA Community Credit Union announced recently that one of its members, Laura Galloway, won a Dell Notebook computer and printer in its E-statement contest. Galloway was one of thousands of credit union members who registered to use its new E-statement service. An associate professor of biology at the University of Virginia, Galloway was thrilled to hear the news. Like many parents, she’s been sharing her computer with her children. “This one is going to be just for me, “ she says.

E-statements are the latest in a series of credit union initiatives to make banking more convenient and more accessible. Each month, members are automatically notified by email when their statements are available. Members can download statements to their money management program, archive them, or simply print them out. Because the credit union stores a year’s worth of statements online, members can easily reference their records from months past. “I spend a lot of time at the computer,” says Galloway, “so for me, E-statements were a natural extension of the way I work. You know exactly when statements will arrive.”

On behalf of Wachovia Foundation, Randy Koporc, Wachovia’s regional president for Northwest Virginia, recently presented WVPT—Virginia’s Public Television’s President and General Manager Bert Schmidt a check for $30,000 to fund the Kids’ Book Festival in Charlottesville.

This one-year grant allows WVPT to expand the Kids’ Book Festival into the Charlottesville area.

"I’m thrilled that WVPT has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Wachovia Foundation to create the initial Charlottesville Kids’ Book Festival. The Kids’ Book Festival was created three years ago as a free event for children and their families," said Bert Schmidt. "At the Kids’ Book Festival, families can get books, refreshments, entertainment, and have many fun, learning opportunities, all at absolutely no charge."

For the past three years, WVPT has conducted the Kids’ Book Festival in Harrisonburg. The event emphasizes literacy and includes live entertainment, games and activities, costumed characters, free food, and a free book for each child ten years old and younger. Last year, more than 3,000 children and their family members attended in Harrisonburg.

The date and location of the Charlottesville Kids’ Book Festival will be announced in 2006.