Best Buy volunteers aid Ronald McDonald House

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia received a $1,000 Best Buy TagTeam Award for the month of April.

The check was donated in honor of the volunteer efforts of Best Buy employees in Roanoke.

"Best Buy is committed to strengthening their communities through volunteerism," Jeanne Lawrence, director of community development for Ronald McDonald House, said in a news release. "When Best Buy employee volunteers offer their leadership, expertise and service to nonprofit organizations, Best Buy provides TagTeam Awards to recognize and reward their service."

Best Buy employees volunteer at the Roanoke McDonald House on South Jefferson Street monthly and are regular volunteers with the dinner program.

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The Better Business Bureau serving Western Virginia has recognized 13 high school seniors for demonstrating ethics through leadership, community service and overall personal integrity.

Six of the 13 who received Student of Integrity Scholarship awards during the 10th annual awards dinner on May 1 were from the Roanoke and New River valleys.

Those recipients are Sejal Mistry, Northside High School; Ollie Howie, William Fleming High School; Jeff Feng, Radford High School; Kirsten Dowdy, Eastern Montgomery High School; Clarissa Whitehead, Staunton River High School; and Briana Massaro, Giles High School. Each received a $1,000 scholarship.

Each year, 149 high schools within the BBB's 32-county service area are invited to participate by selecting their own Students of Integrity. The program received more than 170 entries for consideration this year.

Since the program's inception, the BBB has awarded $84,000 in scholarships to 106 students from 64 schools throughout western Virginia, according to Julie Wheeler, president and CEO for the western Virginia bureau.

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The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia recently held a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its upgraded technology center at the Ninth Street Southeast club.

Cox Communications donated $25,000 to upgrade the center with 10 wireless-ready desktop computers with flat-screen monitors, a laser printer, a wireless router and software that includes Windows 7 and NetSmartz, a program developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to encourage safe use of the Internet.

Cox also supplies free high-speed Internet service and digital cable to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia.

"Having access to computers and reliable Internet service is no longer something that's simply nice to have," said Kim Stanley, market vice president of Roanoke operations for Cox Virginia. "To excel in today's fast-paced education climate, students must have both digital literacy and consistent access to technology tools. This center is helping to make this possible for local kids."

Laurie Gibbons, chief professional officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs, said the Cox Technology Center is a vital part of the club.

"Many of our members do not have computers at home, and the Cox Lab provides dependable, up-to-date computers and software for our kids to do their homework; build computer skills and allow our staff to integrate technology into all our core program areas. Most importantly, our young people develop the technology skills necessary to succeed in school and the job market," Gibbons said.

To reiterate the importance of Internet safety and cyber-bullying awareness, club members also participated in an interactive seminar with Deputy Mike Hewitt of the Roanoke Sheriff's Department.

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