If you want proof to the adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, look to the children at the Hardy County Child Care Center, who are enjoying used computers donated by Hardy.
Hardy Telecommunications gave six computers to the child care center. Charlene Zirk, director of the center, said the computers are being used by students and faculty. Hardy Telecommunications Marketing and Human Resource Director Derek Barr said the computers had been used for training at Hardy’s Moorefield office, but they were several years old and weren’t suitable for the company’s current needs. The computers likely were headed to a recycling center, but then the company contacted Mrs. Zirk at the child care center to see if she wanted the computers.
She enthusiastically said yes.
“We can make use of anything,” Mrs. Zirk said during a recent visit to the center. Some of the computers have been set up for use by teachers, while others are in the classrooms for students to use. Students in the pre-kindergarten room now can learn through computer games, she said.
In fact, the students used their ingenuity to make use of an old monitor when a new one was purchased. The class took the old monitor and pretended that they were operating the drive-through lane at a fast-food restaurant.
The center currently has 154 students ranging from six weeks old to 5th grade. An educational curriculum is offered in every class, and the students learn Spanish and Sign Language. The center looks to save money any way possible, even utilizing donated used paper that is still blank on one side.
“We save bundles of money that way, and we can take those savings and apply them to other areas, such as ensuring that we have fresh vegetables for meals instead of canned items,” Mrs. Zirk said.
Derek urged people to contact the center before tossing out items that they might consider worthless.
“Some of the games that these students are playing won’t even work on the newest computers,” he said. “But they are definitely having a good time playing them.
“You might have things that don’t serve your particular needs anymore, but the child care center will find a way to use them and benefit the students here,” Derek added. “That’s when you realize the true difference you can make, when you see these children enjoying something that you were basically willing to throw away.”