Georgia Farm Bureau’s foundation for agriculture offers $58K in scholarships

CEDARTOWN — The Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is offering $ 58,000 in scholarships to Georgia students pursuing a degree in agriculture, veterinary medicine, family and consumer sciences or a related field, James I. Casey, Polk County Farm Bureau president, recently announced.

Since 1959, GFB has awarded scholarships to students entering college with plans to pursue a career in agriculture or family and consumer sciences. In 2016, the GFB Foundation expanded the scholarship program to offer scholarships to rising college juniors and seniors, technical college students and veterinary college students. In 2018 the GFB Foundation for Agriculture will award scholarships in the following four categories.

Scholarship for Agriculture — 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 2018-19 academic year to pursue an undergraduate degree in agricultural and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences or a related agricultural field. The GFB Foundation will award five scholarships of $3,000 each and seven scholarships of $1,500 each.

Technical College Scholarship for Agriculture — This scholarship is for high school students who plan to enroll in a Georgia accredited technical college who will be majoring in an area of agriculture or agriculturally related field of study. The GFB Foundation will award five scholarships of $1,000 each. Rising College Junior/Senior Scholarship for Agriculture — This scholarship is for college students who have at least two semesters of college work remaining to receive an undergraduate degree from a unit of The University System of Georgia, Berry College, Emmanuel College or any accredited college/university in Georgia with an ag program. Applicants must be majoring in agriculture and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences or a related agriculture field. The GFB Foundation will award 10 scholarships of $2,000 each.

UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship - This scholarship is for students currently enrolled in the UGA Veterinary Medicine program specializing in large animal/food animal practice. The GFB Foundation will award three scholarships of $2,500 each.

“I encourage any student who qualifies for one of the Georgia Farm Bureau scholarships to apply,” said Casey. “Agriculture offers many exciting career opportunities. Both farmers and consumers depend on the many jobs agriculture creates from Cooperative Extension agents to food quality control managers who inspect our food to make sure it’s safe.”

The deadline to apply for all of the scholarships is March 2, 2018.

Visit http:// bit. l y/ 18GFBAg Foundationscholarapps for a list of eligible majors/schools, application instructions and to apply. All applications must be submit- ted online by March 2.

Transcripts and letters of recommendation may be submitted online with the application or mailed. Supporting materials that are mailed must be postmarked by March 2.

The scholarship recipients will be announced in spring 2018. Scholarship checks will be sent to the qualifying college/university the recipient is attending and placed in their school account upon verification the student has met all qualifications for the scholarship. The GFB Foundation Scholarships for Agriculture awarded to graduating high school seniors will be distributed upon receipt of first semester transcript indicating the recipient is pursuing an ag-related course of study and has at least a 3.0 GPA.

Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization. Its volunteer members actively participate in local, district and state activities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors.

The GFB Foundation for Agriculture is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. Donations are tax-exempt. GFB is using the foundation to finance activities and educational materials designed to increase the agricultural literacy of Georgia residents.

Donations may be made on the foundation website at http://www. gfbfoundation.org or checks made payable to the GFB Foundation for Agriculture may be mailed to the GFB Foundation care of Katie Gazda at P.O. Box 7068 Macon, Ga. 31209.

Please call the Polk County Farm Bureau office at 770-748-5641 for any questions.

Students have a variety of distractions in their lives whenever they come home from school. Hundreds of cable channels, online video games, and screens of all sizes with YouTube, Spotify and a variety of social media.

One club continues to provide wholesome options for youth when they are getting off the bus, right in the heart of downtown Cedartown.

Cedartown’s Boys & Girls Club has been placed at 321 E. Queen St. for upwards of 14 years now where local youth have been given a place to spend time after school, receive tutoring and help with homework, build character, go on field trips, meet friends, and just generally have fun.

The club is financially accessible for those in need and operates from 2: 30 through 6: 30 p. m. during the school year to aid parents who find themselves being pulled in several different directions.

For those who are new to the county, knowing options and assets located around the county is crucial, and The Boys & Girls Club is a powerful tool for any parent.

The club is, again, designed to be financially accessible, and the after school facility operates on a tiered payment system that charges families based on three different aspects. Those looking to enroll a child can visithttp://www.bgcnwga. org/who-we-are/membership/.

“If a family is receiving help from the state or government, whether it be food stamps or anything else, they only pay $5 per child on a weekly basis,” manager April Sams said. “We also have income based fees where a family can pay $12 per child depending on their income level, and a regular membership is $20 per child.”

Membership has no major restrictions, and youth of nearly all ages are allowed to enroll in the club.

“Our only major restriction would be the financial aspect, but that restriction changes based on several things,” Sams explained. “We’re open to kids ages 5 through 18, and we’re even working with the school to potentially get a bus route for kids who come here after school.”

Regardless of the fee parents pay, each child