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PAGE 10A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL, THURSDAY. JULY 7. 2016
RETIRED EDUCATORS AWARD
SCHOLARSHIPS TO GRADUATES
Madison County Retired Educators recently awarded two $1,000 scholarships
to Madison County graduates Viral Patel and Leah Gearing. Both plan to
attend UGA in the fall, with Patel studying agricultural economics and Gearing
studying sports medicine. “The Retired Educators feel that this is a community
effort,” MCRE officials said. “Each year the educators solicit donations from the
businesses of Madison County to make this presentation possible. Please join
with us in showing our appreciation to these businesses who help us reach our
goal of supporting Madison County students. Our supporters this year were:
Air Service, First American, First Madison, C&M Electric, Colbert Grove Bap
tist, Dr. Thomas Henson, Dr. Robert Hooper, The Bread Basket, Kroger, Lord &
Stephens, Gunnells Construction Co., Fringe Salon, Golden Comb, Sexton’s Tax
Service, Gordon Rhoden Insurance, Ken Howard Insurance, Jackson Electric,
Southern Style Jewelry and Pawn, Graham Law Firm, Carla LaFever Band,
Eloise Hancock (in memory of Margaret Rodgers), George Elrod (in memory of
Mary Elrod), Sallie and Spratt Bullock, Karen Harrison (in memory of Elena Hix
Edgmon), Mirian Tiller (in memory of Rev. Calloway), Colbert Pharmacy, The
Medicine Shoppe, Bill’s BBQ, Biscuit Express, Blazers, Ba Restaurant, Maggie’s
Cafe, Colbert Elementary, Comer Elementary, Hull-Sanford Elementary, Ila Ele
mentary, MCHS and MCMS.”
Back-to-School Supply Drive
collecting donations through July 18
The Madison Area
Resource Team (MART)
Family Connection
collaborative is sponsoring
the 12 th -annual Back-to-
School Supply Drive now
through July 18.
This year's rally for low-
income families will be
held Thursday, July 28,
with registration beginning
at 6 p.m. at the Madison
County Middle School
cafeteria located off Hwy.
172. There will be a hot
dog supper and family
enrichment information
booths available during
the rally. Basic school
supplies collected during
the drive will be handed
out to Madison County
school age children
during the rally, as long as
supplies last.
Any remaining supplies
will be available at the
M.A.R.T. office on an
as-needed basis or by
referrals/request made
by any Madison County
school official.
“As in the past, we would
like to encourage parental
involvement by requiring
at least one parent or
guardian to be present with
the students receiving the
supplies,” organizers said.
“If a student has a pre
scheduled sporting event
or a curricular activity that
coincides with the time of
the rally, the parent may
choose to pick up supplies
once all students present
at the rally are served, or
the parent may attend and
fill out a student absentee
request form and then
follow up with a call to
the office the following
week for availability of
supplies.”
Those interested in
giving a donation of
supplies or making a
monetary donation can
send a check, made
payable to M.A.R.T. -
Back to School Supply
Drive, to the Madison
County Family Connection
Office, RO. Box 1034,
Danielsville. GA 30633.
Donated supplies may
be dropped off at the
Family Connection office
or the county extension
office at 103 Sunset Drive
in Danielsville by noon
on Monday, July 18. For
more information, call
coordinator Ryan Melton
at 706-795-3565.
Jacobsen earns scholarship
from Valspar Foundation
Katie Jacobsen of Colbert has been
awarded a $2,000 scholarship from the
Valspar Foundation.
Jacobsen is studying exercise science at
LaGrange College in LaGrange.
The Valspar Scholarship program
recognizes scholastic and community
achievement by the daughters and sons
of Valspar employees, awarding $2,000 to
students on a competitive basis. Jacobsen
is the daughter of Valspar employee Stein
Jacobsen who works in the company's
Athens facility.
The Valspar Foundation is giving
$76,000 in scholarship awards in August
to 38 exceptional students pursuing post
secondary education in the 2016-2017
academic year.
St. Vincent opens thrift store in Commerce
St. Vincent de Paul opened its newest thrift
store Tuesday, in the 200 Homer Road loca
tion of the former Bi Lo store in Commerce.
But Commerce’s newest business is more
than a place to buy clothing, furniture and
household items at a steep discount.
The 14,000-square-foot store is an expan
sion of the Georgia mission arm of the Cath
olic Church and will serve local residents in
conjunction with its parent church, St. Cath
erine Laboure Catholic Church in Jefferson.
Steve Matthews, of St. Catherine Laboure,
spoke to the Commerce Kiwanis Club about
the expanded mission in a program arranged
by member Mark McCannon.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Georgia
has thrift stores in 12 other locations to sup
port its missions. According to Matthews, the
St. Catherine branch reaches 350 families a
year in Banks and Jackson counties, provid
ing support in terms of assistance with util
ity bills, dental/medical expenses, gasoline,
prescription and other needs on a first come,
first-served basis.
“We go out into their homes, two by two,
and discuss with them what help they need,
with a bill, a payment on a car, groceries,
whatever,” Matthews said. “In doing that,
that money is raised locally through our
church, through yard sales and a couple of
grants, and that patch we put on people’s
lives is just enough to make a difference.
So, to get to that next level we need to have
the income to do it and one of the ways St.
Vincent de Paul has done it is with thrift
stores. So we are opening a thrift store family
support center that is much, much more than
a thrift store.”
The store comprises just under 14,000
square feet. Eight thousand square feet are
dedicated to the retail sales, 2,000 square
feet in back will be used to process donated
items, and another 4,000 square feet will be
used for the family support center.
Aside from one paid employee, the whole
operation is staffed by volunteers. Matthews
said 93 percent of the money raised there will
stay in Banks and Jackson counties.
Eventually, the facility will include a walk-
in freezer. St. Vincent has an arrangement
with Kroger to take its dated meat and frozen
food, which it currently takes to the Banks
Jackson Food Bank. Families in need will
be able to “shop” for the food of their choice
once that system is in place, which Matthews
said could take a year.
Store hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon
day through Saturday.
Matthews noted that the store relies on
volunteers and donations.
“We will be asking for volunteers and ask
ing for your donations,” he said.
He also acknowledged that there are simi
lar stores in Commerce.
“I know there are a couple of other thrift
stores in town,” he said. “I hope there’s space
for all of us.”
Items that the store cannot use are recy
cled. Clothing not fit for resale either goes
to foreign countries or is made into rags,
depending on its condition.
“We are trying to move people from pov
erty to where they can take care of them
selves,” Matthews continued. “You can’t
really do that by paying a light bill. We need
to do that, so the family support center will
be having financial planning, health fairs, job
fairs, banks of computers, people who will
come to help apply for benefits... and we’ll
be able to bring them in and spend more
time with them, just sitting down and talking
to them about all the little things they don’t
think of. We go out and see people and the
first thing you notice is their outside lights
are on. Their air conditioner has been set at
70 instead of 75. They never turn it down
when they leave the house — all these things
that we kind of think of as common sense,
they don’t think about. It’s a generational
thing we need to break.”
Typically, Matthews said, a family in need
has one working individual, with the rest
depending on that person.
“It gets hot like it’s been, and suddenly
they have an electric bill twice as much and
they’re in a pickle.”
There are plenty of people in the two-coun
ty area who need help, Matthews said.
“The poverty level in these two counties is
a lot worse than people think,” he said. “It is
really rough out there right now in July and
August.”
Matthews pointed out that St. Vincent does
not give out money. It makes direct payments
to creditors or landlords, sometimes after
negotiations. For food assistance, it gives
out Kroger gift cards. It has an arrangement
with a local motel for emergency short-term
housing.
St. Vincent de Paul has a 24-hour hotline
for people needing assistance. The number is
706-367-5570.
Pinnacle and Independence
banks announce merger
Pinnacle Financial Corporation (“Pin
nacle”), the parent holding company of
Pinnacle Bank, and Independence Bank
of Georgia (“Independence”), jointly
announced the signing of a definitive merg
er agreement pursuant to which Pinnacle
will acquire Independence in a 100 percent
cash transaction valued at approximately
$32.8 million.
According to a news release, “Manage
ment of each bank believes that the com
bined bank will achieve greater scale and
diversity in markets, products and man
agement compared to either bank as a
standalone. The customers and sharehold
ers of each of Pinnacle and Independence
will benefit from the combined institution’s
greater footprint and scale in the northeast
Georgia communities it serves.”
Independence operates two offices, one
in Braselton and another in Gainesville,
and will add approximately $184 million
in assets, $136 million in loans, and $151
million in deposits to Pinnacle. Upon com
pletion of this transaction, Pinnacle will
have approximately $869 million in assets,
$545 million in loans, and $757 million in
deposits, based on financials reported as of
March 31, 2016.
Commenting on the announcement, L.
Jackson McConnell, Jr., president and chief
executive officer of Pinnacle, said, “We
are excited to announce the combination
of Pinnacle and Independence. This trans
action will allow us to partner with an
excellent financial institution that shares
our commitment to serving our northeast
Georgia communities. Our partnership with
Independence furthers our strategy of tar
geted expansion in growing markets such
as suburban Atlanta and continued organic
growth in our current markets. We view the
acquisition of Independence as a natural
complement to our current growth initia
tives and to be an opportunity to deliver our
core services to a greater number of com
munity bank customers. We look forward to
welcoming our new customers, employees,
and community members.”
The transaction, which is expected to
close in the fourth quarter of 2016, has been
unanimously approved by the boards of
directors of both companies and is subject
to customary closing conditions, including
regulatory approvals, and approval from
the shareholders of Independence. After the
merger, McConnell will continue to serve
as president and chief executive officer of
Pinnacle and Terry Evans and Sid Chandler,
a senior lending officer at Independence,
will have leadership positions within Pinna
cle, with the primary responsibility of over
seeing the communities currently served by
Independence.
Kellum gets doctorate in
pharmacy from Mercer University
Susan Kellum of Comer
graduated in May from Mercer
University with a Doctor of
Pharmacy degree from the
College of Pharmacy.
Mercer University conferred
bachelor’s, master’s and doc
toral degrees to nearly 2,000
students representing all 12
schools and colleges at five
ceremonies during May in
Macon, Atlanta and Savannah.
AA chapter meets 4 times weekly
The Breezy Knob chapter of Alcoholics
Anonymous meets four times a week
at 69 Central Avenue (across from First
Commerce Bank) in Commerce.
Meeting times are:
•Sunday, 7 p.m., open discussion
•Tuesday, 8 p.m., open discussion
•Thursday, 8 p.m., open discussion
•Saturday, 8 p.m., open discussion, open
literature
Class of ’66 to hold reunion Aug. 27
The Madison County High School Class of 1966 will have their 50 th class reunion
Saturday, Aug. 27, at the home of Johnny and Brenda Minish, 2066 Aderhold Rogers
Road. For more information, contact one of the following: Nancy Goss. 706-224-0786:
Wayne Craig. 706-540-4264; Pat Maxey, 706-206-3415; or Judy Vaughn, 706-621-
8826.
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Class of ’56 alumni to meet July 11
The Madison County High School Class of 1956 alumni will meet for their monthly
fellowship breakfast on Monday, July 11, at 8:30 a.m. at the Ila Restaurant in Ila. All
former classmates, spouses and friends are invited to attend. The group usually meets
the first Monday of the month, but has moved the breakfast to the second Monday in
July due to the Independence Day holiday.
Royston (706) 245-6111
Commerce (706) 335-6111 Elberton (706) 283-6111
Lexington (706)743-5414 Hartwell (706)376-6111