GG is G2G w/ C4K.

That's electronic shorthand for: Garth Godwin is good to go with Computers for Kids.

Godwin, 57, is a member of the Westminster 7:10 Rotary Club, which has sponsored Computers 4 Kids, a giveaway to students, going on eight years. This year, somewhere along the line, the project will give away its 5,000th computer.

The computers are used. Godwin and four of her volunteers help refurbish them - cleaning hard drives, installing more memory or modems.

"The first year, we gave away 300," he said. "It just grew from there."

This year, Godwin expects to give away about 650 computers to high school and middle school students in and around Westminster.

The project started just before a meeting of the Westminster 7:10 Rotary Club, which is so named because members start their meetings at 7:10 a.m.

A fellow Rotarian noted he had just bought a new computer and hated to just pitch his old one.

Godwin thought maybe a student would like it. Click. The guys approached other club members and the program began that year.

"This started with one guy and about 10 square feet," he said.

That was Godwin himself. He recruited brothers John and Pat Zemyan to help. They talked to a couple other guys, who joined up - Dennis Reed and Scott Davis.

Davis, 62, and Reed, 59, are retired.

"I get two benefits," Reed said. "I get to give back. And I give back doing something I have fun at."

The guys work for free. But Godwin springs for doughnuts on Saturdays, a full day of computer work at his company - Western Region Marketing, a sales distributorship for a slew of electronic parts and also a factory for electronic gadgets. Maybe a fifth of the workshop is devoted to storing old computers.

Godwin even uses his office to store computer parts.

"He has spent countless hours on the Internet, looking for the best buys on parts needed to upgrade donated computers," said fellow Rotarian Michael Hayes. "He has worked with schools to identify needy kids to get the computers and then has organized countless distribution days for the kids to pick them up."

It's the looks on the faces of the kids that keep the volunteers coming back.

Godwin recalled one family who came in, picked up their computer and said thanks. They returned quickly, though, asking if Godwin had a box to put the monitor in. He asked why. Then they told him they didn't have a car and had come by bus. Godwin made sure they had a ride home.

And there was the deaf kid who came in with his grandmother, who was raising him. He got like the 2,000th computer. Computers for Kids makes a big deal out of the increments of 1,000.

"He had the tears going," Godwin said.

So did Godwin.

Massarog@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5271