April 2015
Let's Pound the Pavement With Purpose!
The clock is ticking and we're just days away from the ninth running of the Front Porch Foot Race! We challenge you to pull on those dusty running shoes and make a difference. Sign up now for the 5K or one-mile run/walk on Saturday, May 16 and help improve the lives of children who live in our community.  

Think about how it fells to tuck your kids into bed and as you kiss them good night and wish them sweet dreams, they respond, "I'm hungry." It's a hard reality most of us cannot comprehend. But it happens every night in the households surrounding The Georgia Club. These children who are victim of circumstance need you.  

You really can help change that horrible cycle by supporting The Georgia Club Foundation and Food 2 Kids through running, participating in the Taste competition, and purchasing amazing treats and breakfast snacks the day of the race. Better yet, you can make a donation today that will be specially designated for this critical effort of ensuring children will have sustenance while not in school. 

 

For more information about this year's Race and Taste, please contact Nan Cantrell by emailing [email protected]. Let's engage our own children and help them understand the importance of caring goodwill. Many of our own would love to throw some dough with mom in the kitchen, right? Um, um, good!

The Foundation and foot race committee are excited and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday, May 16th!
Helping Project Safe Keep People Safe
Shown left to right: Bob Van Schoick,
Project Safe Executive Director
Joan Prittie, Debbie Cassady
and Linda Hull.


 

Why Project Safe?  

 

They believe every person is worthy of love, and that love shouldn't come at a cost of jealousy, control, abuse or violence. They believe that all people deserve to be safe in their relationships and to be safe in their homes.

 

As society awareness increases, we hear more and more about domestic violence in the media and we see abuse doesn't discriminate. It affects women and men, young and old, wealthy and homeless. It's organizations such as Athens' own Project Safe that can help and turnaround lives.   

 

Executive Director Joan Prittie visited recently with members of the Foundation board at which time she accepted donation totaling $13,500 resulting from the Tour of Homes. Joan is a UGA grad and attorney who previously worked within the prison legal system. Her experience exposed her to various tasks on domestic violence which ignited a passion that eventually lead her to Project Safe where she has been for 15 years. In 2014 and outside of her day-to-day responsibilities at Project Safe, Joan gave 56 presentations and webinars locally and statewide relative to domestic abuse. 

 

Domestic violence is often a crime of repetition, a process rather than an individual act. Project Safe understands this and knows how to intervene and make change happen.

Graduation Is Just Days Away!

This time of year, the Scholarship Committee is busy at work evaluating and selecting recipients of scholarships funded by The Georgia Club Foundation. 


The Foundation recently received an update from 2014 North Oconee High School recipient, Leah Smith

 

Taking time for some fun during her first year as a UGA Dawg, Leah still worked hard in your studies and achieved a 4.0 GPA! Way to go, girl! She is energized by experiencing many new life lessons, while staying connected to her ongoing work with the college staff of the Perfectly Polished Etiquette and Leadership School and she also assists with the staff at Rocky Branch Elementary School. 


Leah reports, "I've enjoyed coaching soccer at Oconee Futbol Club with the 5 to 7 year olds and I'll be returning to Summer Hill Recreation Club as a swim coach and lifeguard for the summer."

 

You'll also see Leah running in the Front Porch Foot Race because children are her passion. In addition to majoring in Early Childhood Education, she volunteers in her church preschool department every Sunday. 

 

The Foundation is proud of Leah and we are excited to share the inspiring stories of some of our 2015 scholarship recipients with you in upcoming editions of Foundation NewsBeginning with the 2014/2015 school year, additional scholarship opportunities are made possible thanks to a generous contribution by The Chu Family Foundation who, like The Georgia Club Foundation, are committed to education and want to help support and reward our exceptional community youth.  

Taking Action with Action Ministries
Foundation board member Mike Schuff presents check to Action's Executive Director Solomon Smothers
On April 6, the Foundation made donation of $3,000 to Action Ministries to benefit their Smart Lunch, Smart Kid (SLSK) program in the Athens area.  

The overall mission of Action Ministries is to mobilize communities to address the challenges of poverty by focusing on hunger, housing and education. They have ongoing discussion with local schools, social workers and government officials to ensure they provide meals to locales that are most underserved. 

The goal of the Smart Lunch, Smart Kid program is to sustainably provide nutritional meals to as many at-risk local children as they can throughout the summer and during other school breaks. Recently Action has identified an opportunity to purchase food as a much greater discount meaning they can serve more children. This also means the Foundation's donation dollars will be stretched even further.  
2015 Charity Golf Classic

The focus of Downtown Academy is to address the early educational needs among the lowest income families in Athens. Their vision is to create exceptional students who will serve as models for others in similar surroundings. 

You'll be receiving a lot more information about our name change, our beneficiary and the tournament activities over the upcoming weeks. 

Mark Monday, July 20 on your calendars today!