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CRO P M A R KS I N CLU D E D: T H I S H E A D E R N OT TO B E PR I NT E D W I T H A D B E LO W

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HorizonsA publication of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce

The Hendricks family established the presti-gious Don Hendricks Partnership Award in 2002 after the passing of Don Hendricks, long-time member of the Board of Education. Mr. Hendricks lived a life of service to the community, and believed in the Forsyth County School System and its quest for quality learning and superior performance for all. The Don Hendricks Partnership Award is given to a Partner in Education who best exemplifies the mission of the Partners in Education program and demonstrates loyalty to the school system and to the community.

The 2014 recipient of the Don Hendricks award was Automation Direct. They have donated thou-sands of dollars to the schools’ national award win-ning robotics programs, and have provided countless man hours to assist the school teams and at local competitions. This Partner in Education has also been an integral part of establishing and growing the state award winning STEM Academy at Forsyth Central High, and has worked tirelessly on the county’s Workforce Development curriculum, particularly in

the area of engineering. Lastly, they also support the district’s Special Olympics and have donated hun-dreds of iPads to special needs students.

The 2015 Don Hendricks Partnership Award recipi-ent will be announced at this year’s Celebration of Excellence to be held on Friday, March 13, 2015 at the Forsyth Conference Center.

Representatives from Automation Direct pose for a photo with the Don Hendricks family, for-mer Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Buster Evans and Chamber President James McCoy after receiving the 2014 Don Hendricks Partnership Award.

Partners in Education

Month in Review

Business After Hours

Melanie and Randy Romanaux and Mike Fazio

Pre-Legislative Breakfast

Moderator Paul Chambers introduces a text poll to the audience.

Prestige Members

Northside Hospital-Forsyth

Taubman

Forsyth County Government

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Inspiring Smiles

Alpharetta Children’s Dentistry

Kaiser Permanente

jTech NetworksThe City of Cumming

Georgia PowerDeKalb Office

Lou Sobh Honda Atlanta Landscape Group

January’s Business After Hours at The Villas at Canterfield

Coins4CURE is simple – chil-d r e n h e l p i n g c h i l d r e n . Coins4CURE is an exciting opportunity for Forsyth County school clubs and groups to raise money for CURE Childhood Cancer during the month of February, while spreading aware-ness of childhood cancer.

Coins4CURE is a student-lead coin drive with 100 percent of proceeds directly benefiting CURE Childhood Cancer - an Atlanta-based non-profit organiza-tion dedicated to conquering childhood cancer through funding targeted research and through sup-port of patients and their families.

Forsyth County school clubs and groups will work together to spread awareness of childhood cancer, while encouraging fellow students, along with their friends and family to collect coins to raise money for CURE Childhood Cancer.

“We are very excited with the Coins4CURE program. It pro-vides a simple but very significant way to help children with cancer in our community. The wide-spread participation of schools in Forsyth County ensures Forsyth’s

children will have a tangible way to make a positive difference for their friends fighting cancer. In empowering kids to help kids, Coins4CURE is much more than an important fundraiser,” said C U R E C h i l d h o o d C a n c e r Executive Director, Kris t in Connor.

“We can’t wait to see its success and anticipate the program will grow quickly as other communi-ties see the great things Forsyth County is able to accomplish,” Connor added.

With the online donation fea-ture, everyone is able to donate to a Coins4CURE coin drive! Online dona t ions made to CURE Childhood Cancer through the Coins4CURE website will count toward the grand total raised at any participating school during the coin drive. This enables schools to raise awareness and money for their coin drives on a broader level.

Forsyth County businesses can also participate through Corporate

Coins4CURE. Businesses can choose to match the amount raised at a participating school up to a certain dollar amount, or make a one-time donation to a participat-ing school’s February coin drive. For more information about Corporate Coins4CURE, e-mail info@coins4cure.org.

Coins4CURE was founded in 2014 by Alpharetta Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics as a fun-draiser for Forsyth County school clubs and groups to support and raise money for CURE Childhood Cancer.

To sign-up a Forsyth County School club or group, simply visit: www.coins4cure.org/sign-up.

Community

All ‘IN’ 4 CURE

Presented by Northside Hospital-Forsyth

Small businesses are an essen-tial component to expanding growth in the American economy; employing much of the country’s private work force, creating jobs, generating and driving American innovations while also increasing competition. Forsyth County, the seventh fastest growing communi-ty in the nation, is an environment where businesses have the oppor-tunity to thrive. The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce, in an effort to support entrepreneurship in the communi-ty, is excited to host the 2015 Business Awards program.

These awards are given to busi-nesses that demonstrate leader-ship within the community, prac-tice a high standard of business ethics, make contributions to the community and play a significant role in the continuing economic growth of the business communi-ty in Forsyth County. The C u m m i n g - F o r s y t h C o u n t y Chamber of Commerce needs as many individual nomination con-tributions as possible.

S u b m i t n o m i n a t i o n s b y Tuesday, February 17, 2015 via e-mail to Director of Small Business Services, Jason Mock at

jmock@cummingforsythchamber.org. The Chamber only needs the nominee’s name of business and a contac t ’s name and e-mai l address.

The 2015 Business Awards Breakfas t wi l l be he ld on Thursday, April 30, 2015 from 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. at the Forsyth Conference Center, located at 3410 Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Cumming. For more information on the 2015 Business Awards pro-g r a m p l e a s e c o n t a c t t h e C u m m i n g - F o r s y t h C o u n t y Chamber of Commerce.

Business Awards Breakfast

4A | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | forsythnews.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015

A55AHORIZON

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HorizonsA publication of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce

Who Does Your Taxes:

By Ann-Margaret JohnstonJohnston & Associates

Now more than ever, it is important to make sure you file an accurate tax return. With all the new complicated tax laws , espec ia l ly the Affordable Care Act, it is important to know what you are doing when it comes to having your taxes prepared. Did you know that someone can do your tax return com-pletely wrong and that the ulti-mate person responsible is you?

You hear so many terms for accountants — Cer t i fied Public Accountant (CPA), E n r o l l e d A g e n t ( E A ) , Bookkeeper and of course, Accountant. What does it all mean and how can it affect you? It is important to know who to trust and why. Here is a bit of clarification.

A C e r t i f i e d P u b l i c Accountant, or CPA, is some-one with a college degree geared toward taxes and many other aspects of accounting. After receiving a degree, and in many cases a masters degree, they take an exam called, the CPA Exam. This is

a grueling test that is taken in four parts that cover not only taxes but law, auditing and other detailed areas of finan-cial accounting. It is a very difficult test and the majority of people take the exam sever-al times before passing all four parts of it. Even after obtain-ing your degree and passing the test, you have to work in the accounting industry before becoming a CPA. Individual states regulate and govern CPA’s and each state has differ-ent rules in order to obtain a license to practice as a CPA.

You also have to document what type of work experience you have obtained when filling out your application to become a CPA. Then, the state licens-ing board gets to decide if your experience is in enough areas

of accounting to grant you the license. After you receive your license, you are required to take continuing education courses. In Georgia, you are required to take 80 hours of classes every two years and you have to prove that you have taken these courses or the State will not renew your license to practice. The cours-es cost about $300 per eight hours. If you think hiring a CPA is expensive, remember the old rule of thumb — you get what you pay for.

While many people are familiar with the CPA title, they may not be as familiar with the EA title. An EA is a person that is authorized by the IRS, not the state. The right to pract ice comes from the Federal government, specifical-

ly the Department of Treasury (IRS).

In order to become an EA, you either pass a test adminis-tered by the IRS or work for the IRS in an area of tax/audit-ing for five years. Instead of focusing on al l areas of accounting like the CPA exam, the test focuses on tax code. An EA has to keep up continuing education just like a CPA but they are only required to have 72 hours every three years.

People that call themselves tax preparers, bookkeepers and/or accountants typically have only taken some tax courses in a specific area, such as individual income taxes.

Accountants or bookkeepers are not allowed to defend you against the IRS. They cannot obtain a Power of Attorney to represent you. They have to fill out a form called a Tax Authorization Form which only allows them to inspect and /or receive confidential information on your behalf. In other words, a lot of times you are on your own if there is a problem with the return that they prepared.

Finally, be careful of the guys that are in a costume

waving on the street corner during tax season. You know the ones — they promise fast refunds and do a “while you wait” tax return. They work on volume, to get you in and out quickly. In my opinion, this is fine for an easy return but I would not feel comfort-able for a more complicated return to be prepared while I am sitting there. Again, be sure that you feel comfortable that this person is knowledge-able enough for your particu-lar situation. If they are not licensed, they do not have a license to lose if they are neg-ligent.

Because I am obviously a bit prejudiced to CPA’s, I have to point out that it all boils down to hiring the person that you feel the most comfortable with. It’s best to find some-one that is familiar with your type of tax situation. As I said before — in life, you usually get what you pay for, so be sure that you are willing to be comfortable with the person responsible for reporting your taxes to the IRS.

Make sure your taxes are filed timely and enjoy the rest of the year!

Understanding the Differences in Who You are TrustingAnn-Margaret Johnston is a practicing CPA in Cumming, Georgia. Feel free to call her at 770-205-2221 or visit her website at www.johnstoncpas.com

• Please visit our Event’s Calendar atwww.cummingforsythchamber.org to see a full list of events, more information and registration.

Key to the eventsMember Power Networking Lunch — Meets every Tuesday at noon at a different location and includes casual networking for 20-35 other business professionals.Business After Hours — Meets the second Tuesday of every month from 5-7 p.m. at a different host location every month. The purpose is networking and to experience new businesses in the community.Women Who Mean Business — Meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30 a.m. This is a specialized networking group of over 50 female business professionals. Join them for breakfast.

February 3Women Who Mean Business-7:30 a.m., Renasant Bank

February 3Member Power Networking Lunch-Noon, Dickey’s Barbecue

February 10Member Power Networking Lunch-Noon, El Don Mexican Bar & Grill

February 17Member Power Networking Lunch-Noon, City Boyz Bistro

February 192015 Business Showcase-4:00 p.m., Forsyth Conference Center

February 24Member Power Networking Lunch-Noon, Taco’s and Tequilas Mexican

Upcoming events

Presented by

The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of

Commerce is excited to host the third annual Business Showcase.

• Companies can purchase tables to showcase their operation for only $100 and still enjoy local food vendors and network-ing with event attendees.

• This year’s showcase will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2015 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Forsyth Conference Center located at 3410 Ronald Reagan Blvd in Cumming.

• To become a sponsor or to purchase a showcase table please contact the Chamber’s Membership Services Department at 770-887-6461.

The event pairs the Business After Hours environment (networking, great food and beverages and a relaxing atmosphere) with an expo-like element. This event is a perfect fit for businesses that might be interested in hosting a Business After Hours event but do not have a true brick and mortar location to do so.

forsythnews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 5AFRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015