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Art Contests Open to Middle, High Schoolers
Middle school students are invited to enter the 2022 Georgia Farm Bureau Middle School Bookmark Contest. The state winner will receive $150, and 10 district winners will each receive $100. High school students can enter the 2022 Georgia Farm Bureau High School Art Contest. The state winner will win $250, one state runner-up will receive $150, and 10 district winners each will receive $100.
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Both contests are open to all public, private and homeschool students. The bookmark contest, for students in grades 6-8, involves students drawing onto a blank bookmark a picture that depicts some aspect of Georgia agriculture. Students may use crayons, markers or colored pencils to create their bookmark that illustrates agriculture. Only one entry per person.
The art contest, for grades 9-12, requires submissions to be done on 8.5 x 11-inch white paper and should be created in the colors black, white and gray. Contestants may use a variety of media to create their artwork, including graphite, charcoal, pastel, chalk, colored pencil, pen-and-ink, ballpoint pen or mixed media appropriate for printing.
Interested students or teachers should contact the Cherokee County Farm Bureau for an official entry form and contest rules at 770-479-1481 ext. 0. All entries must be received at the Cherokee County Farm Bureau Office by Feb. 18.
Library System Gets New Executive Director
Angela Cortellino has been named the new executive director of the Sequoyah Regional Library System, replacing the recently retired Anita Summers.
Cortellino has served as deputy director for the library system since 2016, after joining the staff in 2015 as public services director. She also has worked in public libraries in Hall and Lumpkin counties. She has a master’s of science degree in information technology from the University of Tennessee School of Information Science, and is a member of the Georgia Library Association, where she serves as advocacy chair. She was awarded the Georgia Library Professional Commendation for Outstanding Service in 2021 and was chosen as one of the 2021 Cherokee County Top 10 Under 40 Professionals to Watch. www.sequoyahregionallibrary.org.
Angela Cortellino Jose Luna Jesslyn Rollins
Honoring Cherokee’s New, Expanding Businesses
The Cherokee Office of Economic Development recently held the third annual Movers & Makers Reception at The Mill on Etowah, honoring seven of Cherokee’s new and expanding businesses. The annual event brings together Cherokee By Choice investors to connect with company executives and hear firsthand about their corporation’s journey to success and growth within the community.
This year’s honorees represent a large scope of industries, including aerospace, healthcare, food and beverage, energy and film.
The 2021 Movers & Makers Honorees are Biolyte, Caire Incorporated, CaliFino Tequila, Chart Industries, Cobb Industrial Incorporated, Quest One Aerospace, Stream MOKO and Northside Hospital Cherokee.
Honoree Jesslyn Rollins founded Biolyte – the IV in a bottle – in Canton, alongside her physician father, Dr. Trey Rollins. The multi-million-dollar hydration company continues to experience record growth with their products available in big-box retailers such as Target, Publix and Kroger. Rollins said, “Being in Cherokee By Choice has positively impacted Biolyte in so many ways. Cherokee has supported Biolyte by allowing us to grow at every stage of our company’s life cycle. Now, we are moving into a nearly 50,000-square-foot facility, and Cherokee has absorbed every single milestone and challenge that we’ve had to undertake, helping us elevate and grow to the next level. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” CaliFino Tequila, another honoree, began its East Coast operations in Canton at Thrive Coworking. The company, in collaboration with Agave Fino Distributors, is now expanding into a new distribution warehouse at The Mill on Etowah. The award-winning tequila company and its distribution partner continue to see a 30 percent increase in tequila sales every quarter.
“The support system we have in Cherokee is unlike anywhere else,” said CaliFino Business Representative/ Ambassador Jose Luna. “The participation and support of the local community has helped us grow organically in ways we were never expecting. Cherokee has welcomed us, and it truly feels like home.”
To learn more about Cherokee’s new and existing industries, visit cherokeega.org.
The Okefenokee Swamp is under threat by a proposed mine.
River Adventures Announces New Schedule
Georgia River Network, Georgia’s only statewide advocacy organization dedicated solely to protecting Georgia’s water, hopes to introduce more than 600 people to the state’s waterways during 2022 through a series of paddle trips and boater safety training sessions.
Georgia River Network, which created Paddle Georgia, a canoe/kayak camping adventure that attracts more than 300 people, is adjusting to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by offering a series of small-group monthly adventures through November.
The organization has two-day weekend canoe/kayak camping trips planned for the Okefenokee Swamp and St. Marys River this month, Alapaha River in March, Ohoopee River in April, and a one-day Etowah River trip in May. More than a dozen additional trips also are scheduled. Registration is open, but spaces are limited on each trip to approximately 30 participants.
For more information, contact Joe Cook, Georgia River Network’s Paddle Georgia coordinator, at joe@garivers.org or 706-409-0128.
The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture (GFA) is offering $65,000 in scholarships to Georgia students pursuing a degree in agriculture, veterinary medicine, family and consumer sciences or a related field.
The GFA awards scholarships in the following categories: Scholarship for Agriculture, Cheyenne Heard College Scholarships (For more information contact the Cherokee County Farm Bureau Office at 770479-1481 ext. 0.), Technical College Scholarship for Agriculture, Rising College Junior/Senior Scholarship for Agriculture and UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship.
Visit www.gafoundationag.org/scholarships for a list of eligible majors/schools for all scholarships, applications and instructions to apply. All applications must be submitted online by March 1. Transcripts and letters of recommendation must be submitted with the application. The scholarship recipients will be announced in the spring.
The GFA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preparing the next generation of leaders for success in Georgia agriculture. The foundation offers scholarships to students pursuing agricultural careers, funds leadership development programs and projects that increase the public’s understanding of agriculture.
County Farm Bureau Wins State Awards
Cherokee County Farm Bureau (CCFB) was recognized for its outstanding member programs during the 84th Annual Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Convention held Dec. 5-7 on Jekyll Island. William Grizzle is the CCFB president.
CCFB received the GFB McKemie Award in the organization’s large membership division. The McKemie Award is the highest honor awarded to a county Farm Bureau in recognition of its efforts to promote agriculture in its local community and is a memorial to former GFB President W.J. McKemie. CCFB received a $1,500 cash prize for winning the award.
“Cherokee County Farm Bureau has gone above and beyond in the work it did this past year to promote agriculture in its community. It’s a pleasure to recognize the county for the hard work they have done,” GFB President Tom McCall said.
CCFB also received the GFB Outstanding Legislative Award, which recognizes efforts the local Farm Bureau made to make legislators and public officials aware of issues facing farmers. Don Keeter chairs the CCFB Legislative Committee.
The committee hosted a Legislative Appreciation Breakfast in 2019 at the Art Barn Farm, followed by a tour of the farm’s petting zoo and a visit to Mariposa Farms, an equine boarding and riding facility. The event gave local farmers a chance to interact with elected officials or their office representatives. The committee held an in-person political forum in 2019 and a virtual forum in 2020 to give candidates who ran for office each year a chance to share their platforms with local residents.
