From: BICSI, Inc.
8610 Hidden River Parkway 
Tampa, FL  33637
813-979-1991

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                     Contact: Janice Martin, 813-282-8767        

 Cabling Guys' Generosity Anything But Low-Voltage

TAMPA, FL -- Conventions mean a lot to a city: full hotel rooms, a thriving economy, even national recognition.
But cities that host the cabling guys from BICSI get something else again. These designers and installers of low-voltage cabling for voice, data and video communications leave a gift in every city that hosts one of their conventions.

In Las Vegas on Sept. 24, for example, as BICSI closes its three-day conference at the Mirage Hotel, a donation will be made from BICSI to Las Vegas' nonprofit Classrooms on Wheels program. Classrooms on Wheels, or COW, operates 7 buses (painted white with black spots, like cows) as mobile classrooms to offer free, bilingual services to at-risk preschool children and their families.

COW Executive Director Angela Pernatozzi notes that kindergarten was not required in Nevada until last year, and that the state is 50th when ranked by the amount it spends on preschool children. As a result, she says, many youngsters arrive at school without even the most basic tools for social interaction, conflict resolution, reading readiness and counting. COW has made a huge difference for these children over the past six years, and continues to do so for hundreds more each year.

BICSI 's charity arm, "BICSI Cares," was established as a 501(c)(3) corporation in 1978 to benefit children in cities where BICSI conferences are held. BICSI Cares donations have benefited facilities for mentally and physically handicapped children, the American Red Cross, Toys for Tots, scholarships and numerous other causes. More than a half-million dollars has been distributed since 1992.

BICSI is a professional, not-for-profit telecommunications association that serves almost 15,000 members from every state in the US and more than 70 countries around the world. BICSI offers courses, conferences, publications and certification programs for telecommunications cabling distribution designers and installers. BICSI programs and interests cover the broad spectrum of voice, data and video technologies.