December 1, 2021, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center announced the Fall 2021 recipients for the inaugural Sow A Seed Grant Program. After extensive deliberation by the Grant Review Committee comprised of members representing Public Health Practitioners, Georgia State Legislature, Mercer University School of Medicine Finance, and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, awards were made to four organizations: Reach2Teach, Inc., Heard County Community Partnership, Harmony Medical Foundation, and Ben Hill County Board of Education. Each of these organizations presented in their proposals well-developed projects that aim to serve the health needs of Georgia’s rural communities by increasing wellness opportunities and health literacy, addressing food insecurity, and preparing generations of rural Georgia citizens with tools to make Georgia a healthier state.
Grant funding will provide health fairs, vaccination clinics, blood donation, and health literacy festivals (Reach2Teach, Inc.), a mobile food pantry and student-led grocery store (Heard County Community Partnership), community wellness fairs (Harmony Medical Foundation), and a pediatric mental health initiative (Ben Hill County Board of Education).
As the award recipients work alongside their assigned Project Managers at the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, we all look forward to seeing the impact on their communities and the growth of each program. We are confident that these Inaugural Award Recipients will set the mark high for project planning, implementation, and evaluation. On behalf of the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, we thank all of the applicants for the Fall 2021 cycle of the Sow a Seed Grant Program. Please follow the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center on social media (Facebook & Instagram @georgiaruralhealth/ Twitter @garuralhealth) to learn more about the progress of these Grant Recipients and the announcement of when applications for the 2022 Grant cycle will open.