The Latino Home Ownership Partnership, which included the Housing and Demographics Research Center, GoldKist Inc., Gilmer County Extension, Gilmer County Family Connection, the United Community Bank, the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Rural Development and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, was awarded the 2005 Regional Innovator Award for Georgia by the Southern Growth Policies Board.

Tom Rodgers (Professor Emeritus, Housing and Consumer Economics) was the principal “innovator” for this project, which included a number of other FACS faculty and staff.

The partnership included a survey of the Latino workforce at the GoldKist Inc. poultry facility in Ellijay to determine housing demand, preferences and purchasing ability. The results showed the employees had the need for improved housing conditions and the capacity for home ownership. As a result, more than 30 families now have new homes in the community (prior to the partnership, the USDA/RD had not originated a single loan in Gilmer County in the prior five years.)

In addition to the social impact of homeownership on the lives of these families, the economic impact on the community has included $3 million in new home construction, $20,000 in annual new property taxes, $3 million in new income to local businesses and 70 new jobs created. In addition, GoldKist credits a significant decline in employee turnover to the partnership.

The partnership was recognized this summer at the Southern Growth Policies Board annual conference in Alabama.

Theresa Lynn Glasheen (Senior, FACS Education) continued the college’s winning spree at the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences national convention by being named the 2005 Student of the Year.

“A bright and hard-working individual with great social skills and a very pleasant disposition who is very giving and genuinely dedicated to helping others,” is how Glasheen was described in her nomination form.

Glasheen served as president of the Student Association for Family and Consumer Sciences in 2004 and is vice president this year. She has been a FACS Ambassador for the past two years, serves as the FACS student representative to the UGA University Council and has been a research assistant in the Department of Human Development and Family Science.

A member of the UGA Honors Program, Glasheen is a member of several honor societies, including Alpha Lambda Delta, Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Upsilon Omicron and Blue Key.

This is the third year SAFCS was an award winner at the AAFCS convention. In 2003, Connie Rash (Assistant Director, Student Services) received the club advisor award and in 2004 SAFCS received the progress award.