Thirteen area high school students received scholarships from the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia and five area college students received scholarships from the Home Builders Association of Georgia during an awards banquet at the Wyndham Peachtree Hotel & Conference Center in Peachtree City recently.

Georgia State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox, who addressed the gathering of scholarship winners and building industry professionals, said that scholarship and the building industry are two of the most important contributors to the success and prosperity of local communities.

“The availability of quality education attracts residents and increases the demand for housing,” she said. “When the reputation of the schools begins to pick up, it is a benefit to home building.”

Cox, a former teacher in the Fayette County school system who was elected to statewide office in 2002, is married to John Cox, a regional builder and treasurer of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia
Winners of HBA of Midwest Georgia scholarships for the 2006-2007 school year were: Carolyn Crist, Cally Dunagan and Andrew Garrett of East Coweta High School; Kyle Steele of Fayette County High School; Sharod Alford, Jonathan Davis and Crystal Pyle, of Griffin High School; Ashley Sellen of Newnan High School; Gorham Williams Bird and Jessica Gunn of Northgate High School; Emory Head III and Jill Lusher of Sandy Creek High School; and Clay Jackson of Starr’s Mill High School.

Jeff Waddle, president of the HBA of Midwest Georgia, made the presentations to winners in attendance.

Initiated in 1984, the scholarship program is funded by the association’s Scholarship House project and has awarded 204 scholarships worth $268,000.

The Home Builders Association of Georgia awards Lewis Cenker scholarships every year to Georgia college students who are pursuing an education in a building related field of study. Named for a Georgian who was a founding member of the Home Builders Association of Georgia and the only Georgian ever to serve as president of the national association, the scholarships are allotted on a regional basis.

This year’s winners for the HBA of Midwest Georgia region are Reece Brown and Taylor McMichael both students at Southern Polytechnic State University; Ryan Hutcheson, Auburn University; Justin Merrick and Kristen Merrick, both students at Georgia Southern University.
The scholarship awards banquet was sponsored by 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty.

With over 650 members, the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia is one of the 100 largest home building associations in the country. It serves builders in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Meriwether, Heard, Pike, Upson, Lamar, Butts, and Jasper Counties.

More information about the group may be obtained by calling Sandy Boda, executive officer, at 770-716-7109

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