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The Troup County School System is looking to award up to five scholarships to eighth graders from low-income families who have the desire to attend college. Community members can help make this a reality, per a press release from the school system.

REACH Georgia is the State of Georgia’s first needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program. The mission is to ensure that Georgia’s low-income, academically promising students have the academic, social, and financial support needed to graduate from high school, access to college and achieve postsecondary success.

REACH Georgia was launched on Feb. 6, 2012, at Georgia Institute of Technology with the first donation of $250,000 from corporate partner AT&T. The REACH Georgia Scholarship rewards students for self-accountability, promotes parent involvement and provides motivation and support; all factors that are critical in student educational achievement.

The Troup County School System joined the REACH program in 2019. Since that time, 8 young people have been given the opportunity to receive a $10,000 scholarship upon high school graduation.

TCSS is responsible for $1,000 of the total scholarship at the time of the REACH Commitment Ceremony.

The Georgia Student Finance Authority completes the $10,000 scholarship at the time the student graduates from high school and is accepted into a post-secondary program.

TCSS is asking for the support of community partners to help raise the funds for this year’s scholars.

“A tax-deductible gift of $1,000 to 5,000 could have an enormous impact on the life of a young person,” a press release from the school system read. “The strength of our communities and our state depends on its future workforce being well-educated. Your gift to REACH creates more educational opportunities across Georgia. Your gift empowers students to dream big and work hard.”

REACH serves 154 school systems in Georgia and overall 2,400 scholarships have been awarded totaling over $24 million, per the TCSS press release. The average REACh scholar has a GPA of 3.3

A total of 71% of REACH scholars were eligible for HOPE or Zell Miller scholarships. Eight REACH scholarship opportunities have been awarded by TCSS since 2019

If you would like to support one or more REACH Scholars, contact Jonathan Laney, TCSS director of secondary education at (706) 812-7900 for more information.

Each potential REACH Scholar receives a mentor during their eighth grade year. The REACH scholar nominee meets with a mentor monthly throughout high school to help ensure academic success and on-time graduation.

Mentors help students set goals and develop pathways to achieve them, prepare for job interviews, and research viable options for college. If you are interested in becoming a REACH Georgia mentor, contact TCSS System at (706) 812-7900 for more information.