DONOR & SCHOLARSHIP SPOTLIGHTS
RIBBON CUTTING FOR FUTURE CENTERS IN COFFEE COUNTY
Ribbon Cutting by Ariel O'Connor from the Etowah Foundation.
We are thrilled to announce the official ribbon cutting of the Etowah Foundation Future Centers in Coffee County, which took place at the end of April 2024 for Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy and Coffee High School. This milestone was celebrated with the support of the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce.
Ariel O'Connor was honored to cut the ribbon, marking the beginning of her role as the Future Center Advisor at Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy. Leigh Welch, Executive Director of the Etowah Foundation, was also in attendance, highlighting the importance of this initiative and our commitment to student success.
A big thank you to Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy, Coffee County Schools, South Georgia State College, and the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce for making this possible. Great things are definitely brewing in Coffee County!
Ariel O'Connor was honored to cut the ribbon, marking the beginning of her role as the Future Center Advisor at Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy. Leigh Welch, Executive Director of the Etowah Foundation, was also in attendance, highlighting the importance of this initiative and our commitment to student success.
A big thank you to Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy, Coffee County Schools, South Georgia State College, and the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce for making this possible. Great things are definitely brewing in Coffee County!
RIC MASON MEMORIAL SERVICE SCHOLARSHIPS
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The Ric Mason Memorial Service Scholarship was started in 2007 in loving memory of Ric Mason, who was serving as Etowah Foundation’s Executive Director at the time of his death. He was killed suddenly in a tragic accident at a remote location in Honduras while on a mission trip. He died on Tuesday, February 6, 2007; this was his seventh annual mission trip. He and his fellow missionaries donated their time to serve the Honduran people through building infrastructure and housing for the poorest of villages.
The Ric Mason Memorial Service Scholarship was started in 2007 in loving memory of Ric Mason, who was serving as Etowah Foundation’s Executive Director at the time of his death. He was killed suddenly in a tragic accident at a remote location in Honduras while on a mission trip. He died on Tuesday, February 6, 2007; this was his seventh annual mission trip. He and his fellow missionaries donated their time to serve the Honduran people through building infrastructure and housing for the poorest of villages.
Ric was born October 1, 1948 in Sandersville, GA. He graduated from Wilkinson County High School in 1966 and The Georgia Institute of Technology in 1970. His degree was in Industrial Management. Throughout his life, he showed his dedication to community service in many ways. He served as president of the Cartersville Little League, and was instrumental in the creation of the Cartersville-Bartow Youth Soccer Association, becoming an active supporter for the next 10 years. He was a charter member of the Cartersville Optimist Club and a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church where he served on numerous committees as well as teaching an adult Sunday School class for over thirty years. In 2002 he became the Executive Director of the Etowah Foundation, raising monies and awarding scholarships to local youth. Prior to accepting this position, Ric was a successful restauranteur. He was McDonald’s Regional Director for the Atlanta area in the 1970’s. He later had a catering business in Cartersville and a restaurant known as The Meating Place. In 1986 he was named Small Businessman of the Year by the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber of Commerce.
Family and friends who wished to commemorate his passing were asked to make a donation to the Etowah Foundation. Thus the Ric Mason Memorial Service Scholarship was created as an endowment. The funds generated by this investment continue to support college scholarships for local Bartow County students each year. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to two students who have demonstrated exemplary involvement in their community and service to others.
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MOUNT ZION MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH SCHOLARSHIPS
Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Cartersville, Georgia is rich in history, having been first organized in the mid 1800’s. The small congregation erected their first church building in 1875, and moved into a brick structure in 1879. Very early in their history they showed a commitment to education by founding their own school. Today the church meets at their permanent location at 147 Jones Street in Cartersville, and includes children, youth, seniors, business people, working people and professional people among their numbers. They began funding scholarships through the Etowah Foundation in 2014. Recent recipients have been their college students – members of Mount Zion church and active in church ministries. We are honored to be part of this partnership in supporting these young people’s desire to further their education.
EUHARLEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY/TAFF MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
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The Euharlee Historical Society is a non-profit organization comprised of individuals who are interested in preserving and sharing the history and heritage of the city of Euharlee. The Historical society operates the Euharlee Welcome Center and History Museum. In addition to meeting quarterly, it completes a preservation project each year, publishes a newsletter – the Euharlee Echo – and has published two Euharlee History and Heritage books.
Since 2011, in keeping with their vision of preserving Euharlee’s history for future generations, EHS has sponsored a scholarship for a student with an interest in history or museum studies. The scholarship is named in honor of the original founder of the Euharlee Historical Society, Mary Ellen Taff, who spent her lifetime preserving local history and heritage. She grew up in the “mule and horses era” when Euharlee was home to a general store, a blacksmith shop, a gristmill, and homes of people who had settled on Cherokee land. Still standing from those early days is the well-known covered bridge, spanning Euharlee Creek.
The Etowah Foundation is privileged to be a part of this community based tribute to local history and thank EHS for their dedication to the youth of our community. To find out more about the Euharlee Welcome Center & History Museum, go to www.euharleehistory.org.
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TOYO TIRES SCHOLARSHIPS
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TOYO Tires, located in White Georgia, has been supporting the Etowah Foundation and the Bartow Community with scholarships since 2007. The “Toyo Tires North America Scholarship” is an annual scholarship that started with (3), $1000 scholarships and, since 2015, has generously increased to (5), $1000 scholarships each year.
Established in 1966, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. represents the innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service that Toyo Tires has delivered worldwide for more than 70 years.
Toyo Tires offer a complete selection of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including light trucks, SUVs, high performance cars, and luxury vehicles, as well as commercial trucks. Many of these tires are built here in the United States at our state-of-the-art factory in Bartow County, Georgia.
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EXCHANGE CLUB/OTIS CHUPP SCHOLARSHIP
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Cartersville-Bartow County Exchange Club has been supporting the youth of our community since 1987. The Exchange club was founded in 1911 by business executives who simply wanted to exchange ideas. Current club president is Bart Moore and the organization has 25 local, active members. Those 25 members are tasked with all of the fund-raising efforts to support the organizations in the community that align with their core values of family, community and country.
The Exchange Club’s national project is the prevention of child abuse. Over the past 5 years, the club has donated over $100,000 to local non-profits including the Etowah Scholarship Fund. Their fundraising events are local favorites and include the Cartersville Christmas parade, and the Reverse Raffle that takes place in May. They have hopes to add a third event soon!
The Exchange Club of Cartersville started their Etowah Scholarship Fund as early as 1987 but in 2006 when previous club president Otis Chupp passed away unexpectedly, the scholarship was re-named to Exchange Club/Otis Chupp Scholarship and goes to a graduating senior who is a son or daughter of a public servant.
We are thrilled to have such a pillar of the community support the Etowah Foundation and the many youth in the area they have helped serve through their scholarship!
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