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Atlanta-based GPS Hospitality is one of several Georgia entities awarding scholarships to students.
While summer is in full swing, Georgia companies and nonprofits are already in back-to-school mode — awarding thousands of dollars in scholarships for deserving students.
Atlanta-based GPS Hospitality, the nation’s third-largest Burger King franchisee, announced it would award $235,000 in scholarships to 235 high school students including 31 in the metro Atlanta region. The donations are part of the company’s efforts to support teens across its 12-state market.
Each student will receive a $1,000 grant courtesy of the Burger King Foundation. The funds are for graduating high school seniors. They were selected based on their grade point average, community involvement and work experience.
The Cobb Community Foundation says it gave $121,415 toward scholarships to 51 students who demonstrated a “passion for their studies, determination despite the odds and service to their community.”
This was the first year, the foundation implemented a new online scholarship portal which streamlined the application process for students and made evaluating entries easier, said Alexandra Boyle, its scholarship program manager, in a statement.
Earlier this year, the foundation said it would triple the size of its fund over the next decade to be able to allocate more unrestricted funds to support the Cobb County area. Last year it distributed $4.5 million of restricted funds. The foundation had $300,000 in discretionary funds it could pour back into the community as it saw fit.
The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) and Georgia’s Path2College 529 Plan launched its “We Care, Child Care Sweepstakes.” It will award funds at both ends of a child’s educational journey. The contest gives $1,529 in college scholarships to one winner each from north, south and southeast Georgia as well as metro Atlanta. The winners will also receive $1,529 to go to their child’s early learning center.
For the past 10 years, the two organizations have collaborated on a chance for Georgia families to win money for education.
“DECAL begins laying the academic foundation for a child’s educational career, and Georgia’s Path2College529 Plan lays a financial foundation on which that child’s future educational dreams can be built,” Amy Jacobs, Commissioner for DECAL, said in a statement about the partnership.
The Path2College 529 Plan is the state’s official college savings plan. Earnings are 100% free from federal and state income taxes when used for qualified education expenses such as tuition.
The sweepstakes is open to Georgia families with children who are 13 and younger who attend a DECAL-licensed child care program. The partnership has awarded more than $75,000 to 34 future college-bound students and has helped inform families about saving for college through Georgia’s Path2College 529 Plan. Entries may be submitted through the end of the month.
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