Georgia Magazine - April 2023 - 8

GEORGIA News
Compiled by Jennifer J. Hewett
Taking care of Mother Earth
G
eorgia's communities are
stepping up to improve
the environment by offering
recycling drives, educational workshops, roadside
and waterway cleanups, and beautification events as
part of the Great American Cleanup. The event runs
through June 21 and is an initiative of Keep America
Beautiful in partnership with the Keep Georgia
Beautiful Foundation in Atlanta and local chapters
statewide.
Last year, the Keep Georgia Beautiful network
collected more than 608,000 pounds of litter; recycled
more than 1.28 million pounds of materials; cleaned
3,222 miles of roadways, waterways, parks and trails;
and planted more than 4,900 trees and shrubs.
To learn more or to find an event near you,
visit bit.ly/gackgb23.
Georgia glimpses
* Military-friendly companies. The Home Depot and Southern
Co., both based in Atlanta, were among the companies named to
the 20th annual Military Friendly Employers list in the December
2022 issue of G.I. Jobs magazine. Georgia was also named No. 7 in
the top 10 hiring regions for veterans and members of the military.
For more information, visit militaryfriendly.com.
* Millwork manufacturer expands. Gov. Brian P. Kemp recently
announced that Steves & Sons Inc., a high-volume, millwork
manufacturer based in Texas, will invest more than $100 million
and create 170 jobs over the next three years as it builds a
state-of-the-art factory in Jackson County. Located near Athens,
the 310,000-square-foot facility will produce millions of interior
molded door parts annually for use in housing construction and
remodeling projects. In December 2021, the company also
announced it would build a $16 million distribution facility in
Turner County. Visit stevesdoors.com for more about the company.
* Inspirational nonprofits. Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A awarded
grants to Midwest Food Bank in Peachtree City and S.H.A.R.E.
House, a family-violence crisis center in Douglasville, as part
of the company's 2023 True Inspiration Awards program. The
restaurant chain distributed $5 million in grants to 46 nonprofit
organizations in 23 states. For a list of the grant winners,
visit bit.ly/cfa23inspire.
* Kia supports regional charities. In conjunction with its
groundbreaking celebration for the Hyundai Motor Group
Metaplant America near Savannah, Kia America donated $600,000
8 Georgia Magazine April 2023
to area charities. The beneficiaries are Family Promise of the
Coastal Empire, based in Savannah ($300,000); America's Second
Harvest of Georgia in Savannah ($100,000); Inspiredu in Atlanta
($100,000); and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis,
Tenn. ($100,000). These donations will help provide housing, meals,
greater access to digital learning for families and medical care
for children in the region. Since 2009, Kia's West Point factory has
provided more than $10 million in donations to support Georgia
communities and created more than 14,000 jobs.
* Rare species. Two
critically endangered
bog turtles hatched
at Zoo Atlanta in
early March. Native
to Georgia, the
species is found
only in the eastern
U.S. The mountain
bog habitat where
the turtles live is
considered imperiled
because of encroaching development and is also home to plant
species found only in this area, such as montane purple pitcher
plants and swamp pinks. The zoo is working with the Georgia
Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy to
help restore a mountain bog near Toccoa. For information on these
conservation efforts, visit zooatlanta.org/conservation.
ISTOCK.COM / FILO
ZOO ATLANTA
APRIL
Earth Month
http://bit.ly/gackgb23 http://www.militaryfriendly.com http://www.stevesdoors.com http://bit.ly/cfa23inspire http://www.zooatlanta.org/conservation
Georgia Magazine - April 2023

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