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BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2024
Social News
Georgia Foundation for Agriculture
offers $65,000 in school scholarships
The Georgia Foundation
for Agriculture (GFA) is
offering $65,000 in schol
arships to Georgia students
pursuing a degree in agri
culture, veterinary medi
cine, family and consumer
sciences or a related field,
Jimmy Morrison, Banks
County Farm Bureau presi
dent, recently announced.
The GFA will award
scholarships in the follow
ing four categories.
Scholarship for Agricul
ture - This scholarship is
for high school students
who plan to enter a college
that is part of the University
System of Georgia, Berry
College, Emmanuel College
or any accredited college/
university in Georgia with
an ag program during the
2024-25 academic year to
pursue an undergraduate de
gree in agricultural and en
vironmental sciences, fami
ly and consumer sciences or
a related agricultural field.
The GFA will award 10
scholarships of $3,000 each.
The top two ranked appli
cants will be eligible for an
additional $1,500.
Technical College Schol
arship for Agriculture - This
scholarship is for students
who will be enrolled in a
Georgia accredited tech
nical college and major in
an area of agriculture or an
ag-related field of study,
such as welding, mechanics,
culinary arts, or commercial
truck driving. The GFA will
award four scholarships of
$1,500 each. Visit https://
gfb. ag/gfatechscholarship-
majors for a list of eligible
schools and majors.
Rising College Junior/
Senior Scholarship for Ag
riculture - This scholarship
is for college students who
have at least two semesters
of college remaining to re
ceive an undergraduate de
gree from a unit of The Uni
versity System of Georgia,
Berry College, Emmanuel
College or any accredited
college/university in Geor
gia with an ag program.
Applicants must be major
ing in agriculture and envi
ronmental sciences, family
and consumer sciences or
an ag-related field. The GFA
will award eight scholar
ships of $2,000 each.
UGA College of Veteri
nary Medicine Scholarship
— This scholarship is for
students currently enrolled
in the UGA Veterinary Med
icine program specializing
in large animal/food ani
mal practice. The GFA will
award two $5,000 scholar
ships.
“I encourage any student
who qualifies for one of
the Georgia Foundation for
Agriculture scholarships
to apply,” said Morrison.
“Agriculture offers many
exciting career opportuni
ties. Both farmers and con
sumers depend on the many
jobs agriculture creates such
as mechanics, large animal
veterinarians and food sci
entists.”
The Banks County Farm
Bureau would like to offer
a scholarship to students
who live in Banks County
and qualify any of the GFB
Scholarship.
Submit a copy of the GFB
Scholarship to Julie Jackson
at jajackson@gfbco.org or
bring it by the Banks Coun
ty office.
Visit www.gafounda-
tionag.org/scholarships for
a list of eligible majors/
schools for all scholarships,
applications, and instruc
tions to apply.
All applications must be
submitted online by March
1, 2024.
Transcripts and letters of
recommendation must be
submitted online with the
application.
The scholarship recipients
will be announced in spring
of 2024. Scholarship checks
will be sent to the qualifying
college/university the recip
ient is attending and placed
in their school account upon
verification the student has
met all qualifications for
the scholarship. Scholar
ships awarded to graduating
high school seniors will be
distributed for spring 2025
upon receipt of first semes
ter college transcript indi
cating the recipient is pursu
ing an ag-related coruse of
study and has at least a 3.0
GPA.
The GFA is a non-profit
501 ©3 organization dedi
cated to preparing the next
generation of leaders for
success in Georgia agricul
ture.
The GFA works with
Georgia Farm Bureau and
other Georgia agricultural
and educational organiza
tions to achieve its mission.
The foundation offers schol
arships to students pursuing
agricultural careers, funds
leadership development
programs and projects that
increase the public’s under
standing of agriculture.
It coordinates the Georgia
Ag Experience, a mobile
classroom that introduces
third through fifth graders
to Georgia’s top crops. To
make a tax-deductible do
nation or learn more about
the foundation, visit www.
gafoundationag.org or con
tact GFA Executive Director
Lily Baucom at 478-405-
3461 or info@gafounda-
tion.org.
Piedmont Athens:
Consider donating blood during nationwide shortage
The American Red Cross
is experiencing an emergen
cy blood shortage as the na
tion faces the lowest num
ber of people giving blood
in 20 years.
If you are eligible, your
donation of blood will make
a significant impact on the
lives of others, Piedmont
Athens leaders said.
“Blood supply is critical
to our ability to serve pa
tients, and we partner with
the American Red Cross
for blood supplies,” said
Geoffrey Marx, M.D., Chief
Medical Officer at Piedmont
Athens Regional Medical
Center.
He added, “All Piedmont
hospitals are working with
the Red Cross to make
sure we are appropriately
stocked and are taking steps
to conserve blood where we
can.”
Piedmont is also encour
aging all staff members and
volunteers who are able, as
well as citizens across Geor
gia, to consider donating
blood at an upcoming blood
drive.
Visit redcrossblood.org to
find a blood drive.
The Gilded Age homeschool day planned at
the Northeast Georgia History Center
New year, new budget?
By SUSIE
BURTON MEDINA
Did you make any new
year’s resolutions? Many
people make resolutions
about their spending and
saving. Is this the year you
will start saving for retire
ment or stop spending so
much on throw pillows?
UGA Extension has re
sources and information to
help you check in on your
financial life. Here are some
of our top tips:
Double check—are you
spending more than you
earn? The path to financial
wellness begins with sav
ing. You can’t save if you
spend more than you earn. If
you use credit cards to cover
the gap between paychecks,
you might be outspending
your earnings.
Use an app on your phone
or a good old-fashioned
pencil and paper to track
your spending for a few
weeks. Where is your mon
ey going?
Create a budget. It can be
handwritten, on a spread
sheet, or on an application.
It can be a birds-eye view
of your spending and sav
ing, or it can be hyper-de
tailed. What matters is that
you have one. A budget is a
plan for your money. Like in
any other facet of life, you
will do more and go farther
with a good plan. Note that
a budget is different than
tracking. Tracking tells you
where your money has gone
in the past. A budget is a
plan for where your money
will go in the future.
I am a big fan of the
50/30/20 budget frame
work. In a nutshell, this
framework suggests about
50% of your money should
go towards essentials (hous
ing, essential utilities, gro
ceries, etc.).
Another 20% goes to your
financial future (retirement,
emergency savings, saving
for an investment like a
home, paying off debt). The
final 30% is for your discre
tionary spending (meals out,
Netflix, vacations, pizza
parties, salon visits, clown
college tuition—the choice
MEDINA
is truly yours). When you
run your own numbers, you
may find that your spend
ing falls somewhere like
50/5/45 or 70/10/20. Don’t
panic—you can find ways
to cut in some areas so you
can increase in others.
Let your budget be adapt
able. Yes, it’s a plan, and
like with any other plan,
things will change. When
your transmission fails or
Fido eats the remote and
visits the emergency vet,
you’ll need to move things
around. That’s okay.
Your budget should reflect
your priorities, not anyone
else’s. There’s a reason we
call it “personal” finance.
As long as your budget ad
dresses your essentials and
your financial future, spend
discretionary income on
what floats YOUR boat. I
once heard, “You can buy
anything you want, but you
can’t buy everything you
want.” Let your budget help
you decide your priorities—
what do you want the most,
and what can you do with
out?
If you’d like more re
sources about managing
your money, Banks County
Extension is here to help.
Also, remember that we are
offering 100 percent free
federal and state income
tax preparation in Homer,
Demorest, and Clarkesville.
Book your appointment by
calling 706-677-6230. Di
rect questions to susie.bur-
ton@uga.edu.
Susie Burton Medina is
the UGA Family and Con
sumer Sciences Agent for
Banks and Habersham
counties.
Step back in time with the
Northeast Georgia History
Center during Homeschool
Day: The Gilded Age on
Wednesday, Jan. 24, from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Meet historic figures like
Susan B. Anthony, learn
about the fashions and danc
es of the era, and torn the
Worlds Fair Exhibit to ex
plore inventions and prod
ucts of the 1890s.
Programs and activi
ties include the following
plans:
• 10 a.m. — Meet Susan
B. Anthony: An opportunity
to interact with one of histo
ry’s most influential figures
in the fight for women’s
suffrage. Susan B. Anthony
will be portrayed by profes
sional living history inter
preter Cathy Kaemmerlen
of Tattling Tales Produc
tions Inc.
• 12 p.m. — Fashion and
Dances of the Gilded Age:
Explore the elegance and
etiquette of the era with his
torically accurate costumes
and dances with Kat Nagar,
Director of Atlanta Historic
Dance.
• The World’s Fair Exhibit
Hall — Ongoing: Wander
through the inventions hall
to learn about groundbreak
ing inventions of the era
from everyday appliances to
marvels of technology.
• Silhouette Portraiture
Station ($5) — Have a sil
houette portrait taken and
printed as a souvenir.
Homeschool Days are
free for Members of the
Northeast Georgia History
Center and regular admis
sion for non-Members. Be
come a member at www.
negahc.org/member.
Online registration for
this event is available at
www.negahc.org/events.
Kendall Garrison named Rotary Student of the Month
The Rotary Student of the Month is Kendell Garrison
from the Banks County Middle School.
He was recognized at a recent meeting of the Banks
County Rotary Club. After being introduced by school
counselor Hannah Healan, Kendell shared a few words as
to why he chose Mitchell McGhee to be the Teacher of the
Month.
“We are very proud of both Kendell and Mr. McGhee,”
Rotary leaders state. “Keep up the great work. We wish you
great success in the future.”
Kendell Garrison (middle) was named the Rotary Club Stu
dent of the Month. He selected Mitchell McGhee (left) as
Teacher of the Month. School counselor Hannah Healan is
also shown.
Banks County Rotary Club president Doug Cheek presented
the Rotary Student of the Club award to Kendell Garrison, a
student at Banks County Middle School.
T^ARNELLeu
I If m DESIGNS
Ask about
jVIemorials \
the FREE
gift with
An MED Enterprises Co.
purchase.
Serving this community since 1962.
Office located at 220 Hwy. 441 S.
in Commerce, GA. 706-335-4066
Hours: Monday - Friday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday By appointment only • Closed Sunday
**We accept M/C, Visa and offer a lay-a-way plan.
Rotary Club sponsors
Food 2 Kids Program
The Banks County Rotary Club is sponsoring the Food 2
Kids Program in the county school system.
“School isn’t just a place for learning,” organizers state.
“For some of our most impoverished kids, it’s also the only
reliable source of food in their lives. The sad truth is that
from Friday afternoon until they return to school on Mon
day morning, some of these children may not know if or
how much they’ll get to eat.”
Food 2 Kids is a program that helps bridge that gap for
some of the community’s neediest kids.
Sacks of kid-friendly food—enough for at least six
meals—are handed out every week to children identified
by school teachers, counselors and officials as being most
in need.
The disposable sacks will have approximately seven to
10 pounds of food—enough for two days of meals. The
food is in easy-to-open packaging and doesn’t require any
cooking.
To donate or for more information, contact Becky Car-
lan at 706-540-3828. Mail in contributions can be sent to:
Food 2 Kids, PO. Box 54, Homer, Ga., 30547.
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