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The ADVANCE, March 29, 2023/Page 11A
Southeast Georgia Rural
Community Network
Receives $25,000 Grant
PROVIDING MAMMOGRAMS - It's The Journey, Inc., has
granted the Southeast Georgia Rural Health Network
$25,000 to help fund screening and diagnostic mammo
grams for the uninsured and underinsured in the area.
L to R: Robyn Banks, Stephanie Stewart, Anna Claxton,
and Dr. Susan McLendon.
MINNIE PEARL VISITS DODGE COUNTY — Vidalia's own Minnie Pearl (Mary Alice Wilder)
performed at the Dodge County Senior Citizens Center in Eastman on Wednesday,
March 22. L to R: Kim Parkerson, Elouise Purvis, Syble Pruett, Deborah McCraine, Mary
Alice Wilder, and Jackie Yawn,
RTCA'S LEO CLUB COLLECTS DRESSES — Robert Toombs Christian Academy's Leo Club
collected gently used formal dresses during the months of February and March for
Baxley Church of God's upcoming event, Chance to Dance, on March 26. The club
collected over 75 dresses from donations received from members of the community
and from RTCA students. Overall, Chance to Dance has collected around 100 dresses
for their cause. L to R: Bishop Lampp, Sponsor Haley Glenn, James Varnes, Hannah Wil
liams, TJ Stanley, Maddie Joyner, Ella Newton, Maci Whitney, Meredith Durden, Kylie
Whitney, Carlie Shaw, Andrew Tuck, Kylie Acosta, Arlie Gooden, Nicole Acosta, Sebas
tian Holmes, Sponsor LaRee Findley, Jordan Ball (Baxley COG), Javon Anderson (Baxley
COG), Adiran Avila,
State senators restore full
funding of HOPE program
Courtesy of Dr. Susan
McLendon
The Southeast Geor
gia Rural Community
Network is 1 of 39 state
breast cancer programs to
receive $25,000 to fund
screening and diagnos
tic mammogram services
in the Toombs and sur
rounding communities
through a grant from It’s
The Journey Inc., which is
the producer of the Geor
gia 2-Day Walk for Breast
Cancer.
Network Execu
tive Director Dr. Susan
McLendon commented,
“Our network has received
grant funding from It’s
the Journey for several
years. These funds, as well
as partnerships with five
hospital systems in the
region, have helped both
men and women receive
screening and diagnostic
mammogram services in
a 16-county area of South
east Georgia. Participants
are eligible for services
if uninsured and meet fi
nancial screening require
ments.
It’s The Journey,
Inc., Executive Director
Stephani Tucker said, “It’s
The Journey is proud to
partner with these incred
ible programs. By support
ing these grantees, we aim
to increase access to care
and reduce disparities in
cancer outcomes here in
Georgia.”
About Southeast
Georgia Rural
Community Network
The network was
formed in 2014 to serve
uninsured and underin
sured individuals in Mont
gomery, Toombs, and
Treutlen Counties, along
with surrounding areas,
with quality healthcare,
education and activities on
healthy choices, and vari
ous resources for healthy
lifestyles. The network is
sustained through in-kind
donations from network
member support.
Currently, the organi
zation is taking mammo
gram applications for un
insured men and women.
For more information on
this opportunity, the net
work, or to learn of about
eligibility, contact McLen
don at 912-386-1028.
About It’s The Journey
It’s The Journey, Inc.,
produces the Georgia
2-Day Walk for Breast
Cancer, an annual en
durance walk that raises
funds for Georgia's breast
health and breast cancer
programs. Since 2002, It’s
The Journey has raised
$18.2 million and funded
509 breast cancer and
breast health programs in
the state. For a complete
listing of the 2023 grant
recipients, visit https://
itsthejourney.org/where-
your-money-goes/.
The 2023 Georgia
2-Day Walk for Breast
Cancer takes place Octo
ber 7-8. All of the money
raised here stays here in
Georgia. To register for the
2-Day Walk, visit https://
itsthejourney.org/.
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia Senate bud
get writers approved a
$32.4 billion fiscal 2024
state budget late Tuesday
that restores the full fund
ing of HOPE scholarships
Gov. Brian Kemp recom
mended in January.
The state House of
Representatives reduced
HOPE funding in the ver
sion of the budget it ad
opted two weeks ago from
100% of tuition cover
age to 95% for all but the
highest achieving HOPE
scholars, those with high
school grade-point aver
ages of 3.5 or better. The
House budget redirected
the savings toward health
benefits for public pre
kindergarten teachers.
The lottery-funded
HOPE program provided
full tuition coverage until
2011, when then-Gov. Na
than Deal pushed through
cuts prompted by both
the Great Recession and
growing student demand
for scholarships. The cov
erage has been increased
gradually since then and
reached 90% this year.
The Senate Appro
priations Committee also
put its stamp of approval
on Kemp’s request to fully
fund the Quality Basic
Education K-12 student
funding formula for the
second year in a row.
The 2024 budget,
which takes effect July 1,
also would provide $2,000
pay raises to teachers
and most state employ
ees, with $6,000 raises
earmarked for state law
enforcement officers, in
cluding those serving with
the Georgia State Patrol,
Capitol Police, Georgia
Bureau of Investigation,
and the state Department
of Natural Resources.
Senate budget writers
determined that the state’s
law enforcement officers
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have seen their duties in
crease the most among
state employees during
the last couple of years,
Senate Appropriations
Committee Chairman
Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia,
said Tuesday.
The committee also
boosted funding for an
initiative aimed at ending
the practice of “hoteling”
foster children. Tillery
said 14 of Georgia’s foster
kids are currently being
housed in hospital emer
gency rooms.
“That is not the high
est care,” he said. “That is
not the highest and best
use of our funds.”
The Senate commit
tee also added more than
$40 million to the budget
to increase staffing in the
Georgia Department of
Behavioral Health and De
velopmental Disabilities
and gave the Technical
College System of Georgia
more money for its com
mercial truck drivers and
nursing programs, two
fields suffering particular
ly acute workforce short
ages.
The panel earmarked
$26.75 million in one
time benefits for state re
tirees and $11 million for
a new program providing
transit service outside of
metro Atlanta.
The budget heads next
to the Senate Rules Com
mittee to schedule a vote
of the full Senate.
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Dear Valued Customer,
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right out of college in 1996 working for Nationwide In
surance. Then he became owner/agent of his own com
pany The Connor Agency in 2008. I joined him later
that year. We have a combined 40 years of experience
and are fully staffed with 3 locations across Georgia.
We are Certified Farm Agents with Nationwide Agri
business. We also sell home, auto, life and business in
surance. We have deep ties to the Vidalia community
My wife worked at Pruitt in Vidalia for 10 plus years
and our best friends are from Vidalia and still live there
along with their families. Your insurance needs are of
the utmost importance to us. Feel free to call us at 706-
690-8484 with any questions.
We Look forward to working with you!!!!!
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insurance agent in the area JT -j. WR Hutchinson
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with City Manager Nick Overstreet
A 25 minute program about the City of Vidalia featuring
City Manager Nick Overstreet and special guests.
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