Georgia Magazine - May 2017 - 15

Amicalola EMC awards $133,000 in scholarships

DONNA JENKINS / AMICALOLA EMC

micalola Electric Membership
Corp. (EMC) in Jasper distributed $133,000 in scholarships to
136 high school juniors and seniors
at its 2017 Youth Awards Banquet on
March 16.
More than 400 people-including honorees, their families, school
administrators, Amicalola EMC staff
members and members of the coop's board of directors-attended the
event, at which the EMC's four delegates and four runners-up to the 2017
Washington Youth Tour (WYT) also
were announced. The EMC awarded $1,000 scholarships to 128 high
school seniors, a $750 scholarship to
each WYT delegate and a $500 scholarship to each runner-up.
The scholarship program is funded through unclaimed capital credits.
Since it began in 2011, the program
has awarded more than $740,000 in
scholarships.

Stacey Fields, left, director of public relations at Amicalola EMC, and Amicalola EMC CEO
Todd Payne, right, flank the cooperative's 2017 Washington Youth Tour delegates and
alternates. In the front row, from left, are delegates Trey Lunn, Pickens High School, Jasper;
Makayla Roberson, Gilmer High School, Ellijay; and Garrett Martin, Gilmer High School. (Not
pictured is delegate Nicholas Touran of Lumpkin County High School in Dahlonega.) In the
second row are the four alternates: from left, Dalton Crowe, Pickens High; Brysen Garland,
North Georgia Christian Academy, Ellijay; Jacob Hopkins, Lumpkin County High; and Elizabeth Morris, Dawson County High School, Dawsonville.

Carroll EMC gives local teachers a boost

May 2017

CARROLL EMC

arroll Electric Membership Corp.
(EMC) in Carrollton recently
awarded Bright Ideas grants to
local educators to fund creative and
innovative educational projects for
their students. Grants of up to $1,000
were awarded to public school teachers for projects in any subject.
For 2016, 79 grants were awarded, totaling $68,523. These grants will
help 79 teachers in 32 schools and
will affect hundreds of students.
Bright Ideas grants are funded
through Operation Round Up, in
which participating Carroll EMC
members "round up" their electric
bills to the nearest dollar, and the additional amount is donated. The program, which is overseen by Carroll
EMC Foundation trustees, supports
several community-service projects,
including student scholarships and
many health and human services
programs in addition to Bright Ideas.

Valeria Moss (center, in striped sweater) and some of her students at Carrollton High School
in Carrollton accept a $600 Bright Ideas grant from Carroll EMC. Moss will use the grant for
virtual teaching.

All funds collected go back into communities served by the cooperative.
"I am so thankful for all our
members who choose to round up
their bills each month for the Operation Round Up program," says Carole
Thompson, Carroll EMC community
relations supervisor. "Their willingMore online at www.georgiamagazine.org

ness to contribute a few cents each
month is a huge investment in our
community. Thousands of students
in the West Georgia area will reap
the benefit of the grant dollars being awarded now and in the future
through the generosity of our membership."
15

http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - May 2017