One of the benefits of getting together with friends is the sharing of information that takes place. Of course, each group is different. When we meet with other parents who have children in the same school the sharing might be about the courses they are taking. Or the conversation could be about the quality of teachers (they are all great but some are better than others).

If the conversation is in a group of people after church, the discussion could be about ethical issues. i.e. Could we do more to help starving people in our area? What is there new that will help make us energy conscious?

I am sure that you get the idea - there is no time that we meet with other people that we do not have an opportunity to learn.

Last week at a picnic, the conversation turned to money; lost money. Not money lost at the racetrack or the casino, but money that was just forgotten. Well, not necessarily forgotten, but at least unclaimed. One of our friends belongs to an organization that has just been the beneficiary of some of that unclaimed money. During a transition from one treasurer to another, records were misplaced and a Certificate of Deposit got lost in the shuffle. Several years later, a new treasurer received a notice from a bank about unclaimed funds. With proper identification, the organization was able to retrieve the money.

We recently received a newsletter that featured unclaimed funds. The article stated, "New York State is holding $12 billion in lost money. Could some of it could be yours?" "Banks, utilities, insurance and investment companies and many other businesses are required by state law to surrender inactive accounts to the state. The State Comptroller's Office of Unclaimed Funds holds these funds in escrow until they can be returned to their rightful owners."

" According to the Comptroller's office, they return about $1 million a day. There is no deadline for filing claims."

Our friend's organization was a good example of money that is just sitting in the State's escrow account. Their CD was not accessed in a given period of time and the bank was required to turn that money over to the state.

Other examples are savings accounts that are not accessed for a certain number of years or a dividend check that was not cashed.

There are a variety of reasons that money is required to be turned over to the unclaimed funds account. Whatever the reason, the money is still yours. However, while New York State holds your money in an escrow account you will not gain any interest.

To see if the Office of Unclaimed Funds is holding money that belongs to you, search the secure database on its web site at www.osc.state.ny.us/ouf. As they said in the article we received,"It's fast, easy, and safe and you may be pleasantly surprised."

FMA PTA

The Farnsworth Middle School PTA is now participating in the sale of Save Around Books.  Purchasers of this book will be able to save thousands of dollars by using the coupons in the book.  Each student has been assigned one book to sell. The cost is $20 per book. If a student sells 5 books, he or she will receive a free book. Students are asked to return all unsold books by Sept. 30. Money for purchased books should be turned into the FMS main office labeled PTA-sale. 

Board of education

The Guilderland Board of Education holds a regular meeting twice a month on a Tuesday evening. The meetings are held at 7 p.m. and are held in the high school large group room. The next scheduled meeting is on Oct.1.

Preserving photos

The Guilderland Public Library will hold a Photo Forum Activity tonight on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. Melissa Tacke will discuss the care of personal papers, photographs and your memorabillia. Tacke is a Schenectady County Historical Society librarian and archivist.

Drivers needed

The Guilderland Senior Office needs a volunteer driver to deliver meals to homebound Guilderland residents. For more information call Cindy at the senior office at 356-1980, ext. 1048.

Anniversary

Happy anniversary wishes are extended to Michelle and Chuck Butler who will celebrate their special day on Sept. 25.

Birthdays

Happy Birthday wishes are extended to:

— Cynthia Bertrand, Laura Caruso, Logan Cyr, Dan Doherty, and Linda Edson on Sept. 20;

— Joe Spadaro, and Kristina Winsor on Sept. 21;

— Patricia Gifford, Marian Munroe, Taylor Munroe, Stacey Sholtes Snyder, and Jonathan Warner on Sept. 22;

— Chris Hodge, Andrew Timothy Rosa, Kira Shank, Joy Scherer, and Jacqui Timer on Sept. 23;

— Jo Donato and Tim Wagoner on Sept. 24;

— Dawn Munroe on Sept. 25; and

— John Addyman, Amy Bruce, Linda Cure, Jennifer Elaine Czaban, Brett Ross and Eric Zaremski on Sept. 26.