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The ADVANCE, June 9, 2021 /Page 12A
Please submit photos and announcements by Thursday at 12 noon to
have your engagement or anniversary published.
PEOPLE
Jordan Powell, Left, Vidalia Heritage Academy Senior
2021 and FRS Scholarship Recipient, and Dustin Durden,
Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Inc.'s General Man
ager.
Ellen Hendrix, right, Metter High School Senior 2021 and
FRS Scholarship Recipient, and Dustin Durden, Pineland
Telephone Cooperative, Inc.'s General Manager.
Two High School Graduates, Sponsored
by Pineland Telephone, Receive
National FRS Scholarship Awards
Founded in 1994,
The Foundation for Rural
Service (FRS) is the phil
anthropic arm of NTCA
-The Rural Broadband As
sociation. FRS has awarded
over $1 million in scholar
ships since its inception;
empowering rural students
throughout the country to
advance their communi
ties with invaluable skill
sets and experiences. The
FRS College Scholarship
Program awards one-time
scholarships to students
from rural America for
their first year of college,
university, or vocational-
technical school. Each stu
dent is sponsored by an
NTCA member company.
Pineland Telephone
Cooperative, Inc. spon
sored 28 students from its
service area and is proud to
announce that two of those
students were chosen as
FRS Scholarship recipi
ents: Ellen Hendrix from
Metter and Jordan Powell
of Vidalia. This is the first
time that two Pineland
sponsored applicants have
been awarded scholarships.
Ellen graduated from
Metter High School and
is the daughter of Kevin
and Amy Hendrix. Dur
ing her high school career,
Ellen was active with the
Kiwanis Key Club, Y-Club,
volunteered with the Sec
ond Harvest Food Bank
and Metter United Meth
odist Church, served on
the Pineland Bank Junior
Board, was a Certified
Teen Leader of the Can
dler County 4-H Club,
and a graduate of Candler
Youth Leadership. Ellen
served as class president
each year of high school
and was an active mem
ber of the MHS Science
Club, Debate Team, and
the Future Business Lead
ers of America (FBLA).
In addition to these ac
complishments, she has
competed as a member of
Studio South Dance Acad
emy, MHS Varsity Football
Sideline Cheer, and is cur
rently employed at Hen
drix Produce and Candler
Pharmacy. Ellen plans to
major in Pharmacy at the
University of Georgia and
was awarded the JSI Stau-
rulakis Family Scholarship
Award of $5,000.
Jordan is a Vidalia
Heritage Academy gradu
ate and the son of Jeremy
and Joni Powell. He has
received recognition for
his outstanding academic
performance throughout
his high school career, in
cluding Highest Overall
GPA, and was a member
of the National Honor So
ciety. Jordan competed in
GAPPS Academic Com
petitions, avidly served on
the Harvard Model Con
gress since his freshman
year, and participated in
varsity football, and track
and field. Jordan has served
his community through
his volunteer work with
multiple organizations,
including The Salvation
Army and Master’s Closet,
and his tutoring at Vidalia
SECCA DRONE STUDENT COMPLETES PATHWAY — Con
gratulations to Vidalia High School Student Jackson
Crawley (right) for completing the Unmanned Aircraft
Systems Pathway and becoming the first student to be
come eligible for FAA Part 107 license, According to In
structor Amy Gillies (left), "Jackson worked diligently to
pass the knowledge test. He is a hard worker with an im
peccable work ethic."
Heritage Academy. Jor
dan excelled in academics
and community service
while fostering his aspira
tion of becoming an attor
ney through his full-time
internship at The Tillery
Law Firm. Jordan plans to
continue his education at
Georgia Southern Univer
sity and was awarded the
FRS Scholarship Award of
$2,500.
“We are very excited
and pleased to learn that
two of our sponsored stu
dents were selected as FRS
Scholarship winners”, says
General Manager, Dustin
Durden. “Ellen and Jordan
are exceptionally motivat
ed individuals with bright
futures ahead. We wish
them the best of luck in
their next endeavors.”
“FRS is honored to be
able to help the students
served by NTCA member
companies as they head off
to their first year of school,”
said FRS Executive Direc
tor Pam Becker. “Congrat
ulations to Ellen Hendrix
and Jordan Powell for re
ceiving scholarships and
thank you to Pineland Tele
phone Cooperative and all
our donors who make the
FRS scholarship program
possible each year.”
Pineland serves over
1,300 square miles with
its traditional Phone and
Internet services in all or
parts of ten-counties in
South Georgia. Beginning
its 70th year, 100% of Pine-
land’s Phone and Internet
customers receive their
services via a dedicated Fi-
ber-to-the-Home network
offering Gigabit enabled
Broadband connections.
Pineland’s mission is to
offer an outstanding cus
tomer experience through
the efficient delivery of
progressive technology
solutions in the markets
served. We will achieve this
mission by applying our
Core Values of Excellence,
Integrity, Innovation, and
a Servant’s Heart in every
thing we do.
The Foundation for
Rural Service (FRS),
the philanthropic arm of
NTCA-The Rural Broad
band Association and its
members, seeks to sustain
and enhance the quality
of life in rural America by
advancing an understand
ing of rural issues. Through
scholarships, grants, and
a variety of educational
programs, FRS focuses
on educating rural youth,
encouraging community
development, and intro
ducing policymakers to
challenges unique to rural
communities. Visit us at
www.frs.org.
NTCA-The Rural
Broadband Association
is the premier association
representing nearly 850
independent, community-
based telecommunications
companies that are lead
ing innovation in rural and
small-town America. In an
era of transformative tech
nological advancements,
regulatory challenges, and
marketplace competition,
NTCA members are lead
ing the technological evo
lution for rural consum
ers, delivering robust and
high-quality services over
future-proof networks that
make rural communities
vibrant places in which
to live and do business.
Because of their efforts,
rural America is fertile
ground for innovation in
economic development,
e-commerce, health care,
agriculture, and education,
and it contributes billions
of dollars to the U.S. econ
omy each year. Visit us at
https://www.ntca.org.
Jones, Gourley
Mr. and Mrs. John
Jones of Anchorage, Alas
ka, announce the engage
ment and forthcoming
marriage of their daughter,
Sarah Evelyn, to Benjamin
Milbum Gourley of Vi
dalia, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Gregory Gourley.
Sarah is granddaugh
ter of Mr. Carlton Jones
and the late Mrs. Rebecca
Jones, as well as the late
Mr. James Wakeford and
Mrs. Marsada Wakeford.
Sarah graduated from
Auburn University with
her Master’s degree in
Speech, Language, and
Hearing Sciences and will
begin work as a Speech
Language Pathologist
in the Douglas County
School District.
Benjamin is grand
son of Mr. Thomas Hall,
Mr. Thomas Williams and
Mrs. Jane Hall, and Mrs.
Clara Gourley and the late
Mr. Ralph Gourley.
Benjamin graduated
from Auburn University
with a Bachelor’s degree
in Civil Engineering and
will be an Assistant Proj
ect Manager with Brasfield
and Gorrie out of their At
lanta office.
Benjamin and Sarah
met at a freshmen event
with the Auburn Wesley
Foundation and will be
married on June 19, 2021,
by the director of the cam
pus ministry, Tony Jeck, in
Dadeville, Alabama.
Lowry
continued from page 6A
police as systematically
racist.
This argument doesn’t
naturally allow for nuance.
In fact, it logically entails
calling for fewer cops and
less police funding, an
agenda that will be hard to
sell to most people in the
best of circumstances but is
toxic in an environment of
rising crime.
Black Lives Matter has
already been losing support
in the polls, while trust in
the police has been rising.
Things would have to get
much worse for crime to
become as central an issue
as it was in the 1970s. But
Democrats who aren’t
alarmed that reporters are
dodging bullets at the
George Floyd memorial are
tempting political fate.
Rich Lowry is editor of the
National Review.
(c) 2021 by King Features
Synd., Inc.
Sonja Johnson Awarded
PHD in Human Services
Dr. Sonja Johnson
Dr. Sonja Johnson,
the daughter of long-time
Vidalia civil activist and
community leader, Wil
son Johnson and Lorance
Johnson, recently graduat
ed from Walden Universi
ty. Minneapolis, Minneso
ta with a Doctoral degree
in Human Services and a
specialization in Criminal
Justice.
Dr. Johnson has
worked in the Human Ser
vice field for over 25 years.
Like her father, Mr. Wilson
Johnson, Dr. Johnson has a
social consciousness. Dr.
Johnson is the Founder/
President of a nonprofit
organization, “A Gift For
You, Inc.” This nonprofit
is dedicated to helping the
homeless.
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