Don't Give Up on Parents
The Thillen Education Foundation received national attention in a Forbes.com article titled, “Want Students to Succeed? Don’t Give Up on Parents.” The article highlights how the partnership between the Foundation and Greene College & Career Academy (GCCA) has improved parental engagement in a Title I high school in rural Georgia.
The program has seen success on many levels as the article highlights:
“Take Greene County High School in Georgia, a Title I school in rural Georgia, where community members mentor students to help end the cycle of generational poverty. In partnership with the Thillen Education Foundation, the Greene College & Career Academy (GCCA) provides opportunity by pairing students and volunteers for career coaching appointments, work-based learning, and personal growth tasks. Students may earn financial assistance for college, a skilled career, or the military. Greene County parents attend sporting events, honors nights, interest-based open houses, and celebrations. To amplify parent engagement, GCCA CEO and Principal John Ellenberg uses social media and a state-of-the-art video board at sporting events to deliver informative videos for parents.”
Student Recognition Reception
Parental Involvement is Crucial
The Forbes article above states that “Raising the level of parent engagement is possible.” One way this is being accomplished at Greene County High School is by inviting parents to Student Recognition Receptions. Pictured below is senior Kimora Harper being recognized for Community Service at the September 10th celebration with her proud father in attendance.
These receptions honor students for a range of achievements, including recommendations from career coaches and teachers, community service, progress in career planning, and more. The presence of proud parents at these events, witnessing their children receive awards, has a powerful impact, both in the short and long term.
At each reception, students are awarded a total of $5,000 accessible upon graduation for college tuition, purchase of trade equipment, or assist in military service.
Accolades at Gov. Kemp's Workforce Development Summit
In September, in recognition for outstanding performance, Greene College & Career Academy representatives were officially called to the stage and recognized at Governor Kemp’s Annual Workforce Development Summit.
GCCA is one of 55 College & Career Academies in Georgia’s education system that undergo a rigorous accreditation process to maintain their status. In March of this year GCCA received Georgia’s highest honor—a perfect score of 100!
During the accreditation review, GCCA was praised for its partnership with the Thillen Education Foundation (TEF) involving its career coaching and financial assistance program by stating, “We have never seen a program like this anywhere else in the State of Georgia.”
Student Spotlight – Kayla Sigman
Kayla Sigman (second from the left) had an incredible experience last summer at Wake Forest University, which helped her prepare for a career in Sports Medicine.
In a formal report Kayla noted, “Attending the Wake Forest University Summer Immersion Program for Sports Medicine was an enriching and eye-opening experience.” Her planning skills, developed through the career coaching program, were evident as she shared, “With my goal of attending college to study Sports Medicine, I knew it was essential to establish learning objectives prior to attending the summer program.”
“My top three objectives were to learn about the different career opportunities available in the Sports Medicine field, to build lasting connections with my peers, and to understand the various techniques used to assist athletes.”
Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is an annual event held two weeks after Thanksgiving to support charitable organizations. This year, it falls on December 3rd.
With your generous help, The Thillen Education Foundation aims to replenish the $180,000 awarded to its third graduating class in 2024. To reach this goal, we are implementing a two-step process and starting early:
Early Pledges: We are working to secure half of the needed funds ($90,000) before Giving Tuesday. To date we have already received pledges totaling $50,000. If you would like to make an early pledge, please click on the link at the end of this email or contact Dave at (706) 347-0572.
Matching Funds: From November 15th until Giving Tuesday, we will match contributions up to $90,000. This effort will be widely promoted through over 1,000 emails, magazine ads, newspaper articles, and radio commentaries.
We appreciate your continued support, whether through an early pledge or by participating in our Matching Funds initiative on Giving Tuesday. Your contributions will help underprivileged students succeed through improved education, career guidance, and financial assistance.
Career Coach Kickoff
Our Career Coach Kickoff was held on August 1st, marking the end of the first day of school. This marks the seventh year of providing students with dedicated career coaches throughout their four years of high school. Over these years, more than 180 volunteer career coaches have mentored over 600 disadvantaged students.
This year, we welcomed 20 new career coaches, each of whom will guide 3–4 freshmen through the challenges of high school. It’s exciting to note that 17 coaches, after completing four years with their previous students, have signed up again to mentor more students.
Our career coaches bring incredible personal experience to help expand the career horizons of these underprivileged students. Among them are a female Blackhawk fighter pilot, a female Annapolis graduate who worked on space re-entry vehicles, doctors, lawyers, educators, sales executives, and even professional athletes—including a tennis player who competed at Wimbledon and a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. Whatever a student aspires to, we have someone who can help them achieved it.
Freshmen Students Meet Their Coaches
One of the most exciting events of the year is when 30 freshman career coaches meet their students for the very first time. To add to the excitement, all of these introductions happen simultaneously in the same room. It’s a spectacle to witness and marks the beginning of relationships that often extend well beyond high school.
Del Webb Lake Oconee Community Donates
The 100+ Who Care group at Del Webb meets quarterly to select a local nonprofit organization to receive a donation. For the third quarter of 2024, the Thillen Education Foundation was chosen as the recipient, with a donation totaling nearly $7,000.
Betty Aubin, the leader of the organization, shared, “The Del Webb group was given a tour of Greene College & Career Academy to see firsthand how their donation will directly benefit the students. The facilities and programs available to the students left a lasting positive impression on the group.”
A big thank you to Del Webb for your generosity!
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