According to a report by Savannah Now (Savannah Ga., USA) Georgia-Pacific (GP), Atlanta, Ga., Savannah River Mill, located on the southeastern Georgia coastline has awarded scholarships to outstanding students who also happen to have parents who work at the mill. Team members and their scholarship recipients are, from left: Mike Fritch and daughter Hayley Fritch; Kenny Usher and daughter Gabrielle Usher; SRM vice president of manufacturing Rob Shaw; Ashley Sanders and her father, Jody Sanders; and Katherine Cope and her father, Mike Cope.

 

 

The four local students were selected as recipients of Georgia-Pacific Foundation Employees’ Children Scholarships.

Katherine Cope, a graduate of South Effingham High School; Hayley Fritch of Southeast Bulloch High School; and Ashley Sanders and Gabrielle Usher, graduates of Effingham County High School; were recently honored during a lunch hosted in their honor at the Savannah River Mill.

Each year the company awards 50 scholarships to the children of employees across the country.

Katherine is the daughter of Mike and Kimberly Cope. Mike is a manufacturing engineer at G-P’s Savannah River Mill in Rincon. Gabrielle is the daughter of Kenny and Diana Usher. Kenny is a fixed equipment specialist at Savannah River Mill. Katherine and Gabrielle both plan to attend the University of Georgia in Athens. Hayley is the daughter of Michael and Carrie Fritch. Michael is an advanced technician at Savannah River Mill. Ashley is the daughter of Jody Sanders and Thomas and Jamie Kay Duncan. Jody is a fiber handler at Savannah River Mill. Hayley and Ashley both plan to attend Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia.

"It’s a privilege to recognize the students of our G-P team members for their outstanding academic achievements in a way that helps them invest in their future," said Rob Shaw, VP of Manufacturing at Savannah River Mill.

"To have four graduates selected from our area certainly attests to the high caliber of students and quality of education in our local school systems," he said. The G-P Foundation Scholarship Program for Employees’ Children awards $2,000 per year for up to four years of full-time college undergraduate study or until baccalaureate degree requirements are completed, whichever occurs first, for a total maximum award of $8,000.

Since the scholarship program began in 1988, Georgia-Pacific has awarded 1,450 scholarships totaling $11.8 million. The program is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and is open to children of all active, full-time employees of G-P in the U.S.