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Chamber honors 2005 Partners in Education

The Partners in Education named the 2005 Business Partners of the Year at a breakfast held by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce last Friday.

These awards are given annually to one small and one large Partner in Education business in the community. Winners were selected from businesses nominated by participating school partners or by members in the community for their dedicated contributions of time and resources to enhance the educational experience of Fayette County students.

The 2005 Small Business Partner of the Year award was given to Peachtree City Chick-Fil-A. They received multiple nominations from schools across the county for their eager and active partnership contributions both financially and with time spent at the schools by owner/operator Mike Holmes. Among other contributions, Holmes visits with elementary, middle and high school students and speaks on the success and leadership principles associated with Chick-Fil-A.

In addition, Chick-fil-A holds spirit nights where 15 percent of sales on a designated night go to a particular school. The facility also serves as a gathering place for middle and high school students and employees approximately 100 local teenagers each year.

This year’s Large Business Partner of the Year recipient was Comcast Cable Communications. The company’s first contribution was a $50,000 donation to pay for the installation of cabling and wiring needed to make the school system’s cable channel, Channel 24, a reality. After that initial donation, Comcast has continued to help Fayette’s schools with improvements and enhancements. At the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, the firm, through its Comcast Cares program, sent 80 volunteers one Saturday to the new Whitewater High to help put finishing touches on the school’s landscaping. In just one day, the volunteers mulched, pulled weeds and spread 600 bales of pine straw.

The Partners in Education Recognition Breakfast was held for the first time this year at the New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville. In addition to celebrating the business partners of the year, breakfast participants also enjoyed listening to two guest speakers talk about the future of education in Georgia: Dr. Stephen Dolinger, president of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, and Stuart Bennett, chief deputy state superintendent of policy and external affairs. Sponsors for the event included United Community Bank, Georgia Power and the Fayette County Retired Educators.

There are over 300 active Partners in Education in Fayette County, providing a wide range of partnership contributions to local schools. The Partners in Education program is a joint effort of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and the Fayette County Board of Education. Their goal is to promote participation in and interaction between the business community and Fayette County schools.

“These people are the unsung heroes of our schools. They give generously of their time, their resources and their energy to enhance the educational experience of our kids,” said Chamber President Mike Jablonski.

For more information on joining the Partners in Education program, contact the Fayette County Board of Education, phone 770-460-3990 ext. 135 or visit www.FayetteChamber.org.