Georgia Magazine - October 2020 - 15

GALE CUTLER

From left, Louie
Lumley, Robert
Mitchell and Joel
Culpepper were the
top three finishers
in the 52nd annual
EMC/FFA State
Wiring Contest.

Georgia FFA Convention goes virtual

or the first time, the annual Georgia FFA Convention was held virtually on
Facebook, YouTube and Instagram May 28-29. Georgia FFA awards were
shown in slides on the screen during pretaped sessions, and the 2019-20
state officers gave their retiring addresses via video. The six primary convention
sponsors-including Tucker-based Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (EMC),
representing all of the state's EMCs-were recognized and thanked during every
session.
The top three competitors at the 52nd annual EMC/FFA State Wiring Contest on March 7 were recognized during the virtual convention. The winners of
that event at the FFA/FCCLA Center in Covington were Robert Mitchell (Colquitt
County High FFA), first place; Louie Lumley (Bleckley County High FFA), second
place; and Joel Culpepper (Echols County High FFA), third place.
The 2020-21 officers elected during the event were announced live. The
incoming state president, Emma Long (Pickens County High FFA), participated in
the EMC-sponsored Georgia Co-op Youth Leadership Camp in 2018, and an
incoming Central Region vice president, Chely Trejo (Crawford County High FFA),
was a Washington Youth Tour delegate sponsored by Reynolds-based Flint
Energies in 2019.
The other six new state officers are Hope Tompkins (Franklin County High
FFA), Katlyn Davis (South Effingham High FFA), Sarah Harper (Locust Grove High
FFA), Ethan Hyers (Bacon County High FFA), Karter Goforth (Coahulla Creek
High FFA) and Colton Peacock (Long County High FFA).
There are more than 73,000 Georgia FFA members.

KATHRYN GREEN / SOUTHERN RIVERS ENERGY

On-site COVID-19 testing
Southern Rivers Energy in Barnesville
is allowing the Lamar County Health
Department to conduct drive-through
COVID-19 testing in the co-op's
equipment shed behind the office,
where its annual meeting usually is
held. The testing has been offered each
Thursday morning, and patients are
being encouraged to preregister.

COURTESY FLINT ENERGIES

SHORTTakes
New leadership:
Jeremy Nelms
began serving as
Reynolds-based
Flint Energies'
new CEO on
Oct. 1. Nelms
succeeded
Bob Ray, who
retired from the
cooperative to
lead his family's
fifth-generation farm. Prior to leading Flint
Energies, Nelms was the general manager at
Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership
Corp. (EMC) in Young Harris.
Fire education: The Gray-based Tri-County
EMC Foundation donated $3,400 in
Operation Round Up funds to the Gray
Fire Department. The grant will be used to
increase the number of children reached by
the department's fire prevention program
this month from 700 to 1,000. It also enabled
the department to buy community outreach
items, including 200 kitchen-fire safety
kits to help adults in the community learn
how to prevent fires while cooking. In
Operation Round Up, members opt to round
their monthly bills to the nearest dollar, and
the difference goes into a fund for charitable
causes in the community.
#WhoPowersYou: The #WhoPowersYou
contest, sponsored by Touchstone
Energy, invites electric cooperative members
nationwide to nominate local heroes who
empower their co-op communities. Winners
are recognized nationally and earn cash
prizes up to a grand prize of $5,000 to help
their causes. The deadline for nominations
is Oct. 9. For more information, go to
whopowersyou.com.
Service member support: Dalton-based
North Georgia EMC donated $2,500 in
Operation Round Up funds to Operation
Appreciation Inc., a nonprofit organization
that supports military service members in
the Georgia Guard or Reserves, veterans
and their immediate family members in
times of crisis. The grant will help provide
emergency relief such as money for rent,
food and gasoline to struggling military
families in Northwest Georgia.

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Georgia Magazine - October 2020

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