The Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation, a not for profit local charity, announced Tuesday, June 7 that it had awarded to Griffin Herold of Cleveland its 2016 Brian Johnson Memorial Scholarship for the Electrical Lineworker Program, which was established by the Foundation in May of 2015.
The Lineworker Program Scholarship was developed to honor the legacy of one of Sawnee EMC’s employees, Brian Johnson, who lost his life in January 2015 in the line of duty.
“We wanted to establish this program to provide assistance to students who want to become a Lineworker and who are in need of a helping hand, and also to recognize our employee, Mr. Brian Johnson and the school he attended”, stated Michael A. Goodroe, President and CEO of Sawnee EMC.
Herold will receive $1,500 from the Sawnee Foundation towards his continuing education to achieve his lineworker certification from North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville. The funding for the scholarship comes from Sawnee EMC’s unclaimed patronage capital funds, which are separate and apart from the donated funds that the Foundation distributes to local charitable organizations.
The staff at North Georgia Technical College and the staff of Sawnee EMC have worked together to identify recipients and additional awards will be made in the coming months.
About Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation
The Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization and exists to assist charitable organizations in the communities served by Sawnee EMC. Through the Foundation, participating members voluntarily donate one cent at a time by ‘rounding’ up their Sawnee EMC energy bill to the next highest dollar. Since its inception in April 2003, the Sawnee Foundation has donated over $1,969,349.00 to local charitable organizations, to local schools through its “Bright Ideas” educational projects as well as through its youth scholarship program.
About North Georgia Technical College
The North Georgia Technical College Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was created in 2000 to enhance educational opportunities at North Georgia Technical College. The Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of trustees made up of representatives from NGTC’s eight-county service area. Membership includes college alumni as well as local business and community leaders. The mission of the Foundation is to create awareness of the financial needs of the College and encourage donations of resources which are managed wisely to assure quality education for its students. One way the Foundation Board of Trustees supports this mission is through the awarding of scholarships to deserving students with a demonstrated financial need.
