Virtual learning isn’t working. Gov. Kemp, we need your help | THE CHAMPION

by Corey Burres | Oct 22, 2020

Virtual learning isn’t working. Gov. Kemp, we need your help | THE CHAMPION

Gov. Brian Kemp is in a unique position to help families like mine during one of the most challenging times in our lives. My wife and I have two school-aged children, a son and a daughter. Both are being educated within the Decatur City Schools district. Our son, Wyatt, happens to have Down syndrome. He is in the fourth grade.

When the public school system shut down in March, we didn’t know what to expect. Unfortunately, the struggles of virtual learning with our son have exceeded what we thought was tolerable…

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UGA receives $6.2 million grant to provide relationship, financial training | UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

by Corey Burres | Oct 22, 2020

UGA receives $6.2 million grant to provide relationship, financial training | UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

A team of University of Georgia faculty in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences aims to provide Georgia couples with healthy relationship skills and financial guidance with the help of a five-year, $6.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Among the community-based partners is the Georgia Center for Opportunity in Gwinnett County, a nonpartisan organization that conducts public policy research and mobilizes community resources to address education, employment and family issues.

“A collaboration of this magnitude will put us in the position to transform lives and create a blueprint for families in the near future,” said Joyce Mayberry, vice president of family for the Georgia Center for Opportunity.

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Georgia groups push Kemp for virtual-learning microgrants | WALKER COUNTY MESSENGER

by Corey Burres | Sep 17, 2020

Georgia groups push Kemp for virtual-learning microgrants | WALKER COUNTY MESSENGER

ATLANTA – Several groups are pressing Gov. Brian Kemp to start divvying out small federal grant funds aimed at helping families pay for school supplies, child care and other expenses while their children are taking online classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter sent Tuesday, Sept. 15, groups including the American Federation for Children, the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta and GeorgiaCAN urged Kemp to reserve more than $20 million in federal COVID-19 funds for microgrants, which cover small one-time expenses.

Along with several educational and disability-advocacy groups, the letter was also signed by a handful of conservative-leaning organizations including the Americans for Prosperity’s Georgia chapter and the Faith and Freedom Coalition of Georgia.

The Georgia Public Policy Foundation and the Georgia Center for Opportunity also signed the letter.

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Georgia groups push Kemp for virtual-learning microgrants | MDJ ONLINE

by Corey Burres | Sep 16, 2020

Georgia groups push Kemp for virtual-learning microgrants | MDJ ONLINE

ATLANTA – Several groups are pressing Gov. Brian Kemp to start divvying out small federal grant funds aimed at helping families pay for school supplies, child care and other expenses while their children are taking online classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter sent Tuesday, Sept. 15, groups including the American Federation for Children, the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta and GeorgiaCAN urged Kemp to reserve more than $20 million in federal COVID-19 funds for microgrants, which cover small one-time expenses.

Along with several educational and disability-advocacy groups, the letter was also signed by a handful of conservative-leaning organizations including the Americans for Prosperity’s Georgia chapter and the Faith and Freedom Coalition of Georgia.

The Georgia Public Policy Foundation and the Georgia Center for Opportunity also signed the letter.

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Less than half of Georgians approve of how Trump, Kemp have responded to COVID-19 | 11 Alive News

by Corey Burres | Aug 11, 2020

Less than half of Georgians approve of how Trump, Kemp have responded to COVID-19 | 11 Alive News

A new, exclusive 11Alive News/SurveyUSA Poll finds that if a coronavirus vaccine is developed, a full one-third of Georgians are not likely to take it.

While there is a consensus across the state that the nation has done a poor job at controlling the spread of the virus, many Georgia residents are torn on what needs to be done in order to correct the problems that exists…

The partisan divide is making it more difficult for officials and scientists to curb the pandemic, said GOP former state Rep. Buzz Brockway. “I think that is hampering us,” said Brockway, who is now with the Georgia Center for Opportunity. “A crisis should be something that brings us all together. But it’s not. It’s forcing us into some of our camps.”

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Nonprofits face funding shortages, increase demands amid COVID-19 | The Center Square

by Corey Burres | Aug 4, 2020

Nonprofits face funding shortages, increase demands amid COVID-19 | The Center Square

Nonprofit organizations in Georgia are facing higher demands for services but decreases in revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent survey found.

According to a June survey by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN), 90 percent of nonprofit organizations that responded have seen a drop in revenue since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak…

Corey Burres, a spokesman for the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO), an organization aimed at increasing opportunities for Georgians, said many of its partner nonprofits had been in discussions about layoffs and reconstruction.

“The demand for services is going through the roof, while financial support is not keeping pace,” he said. “While most organizations have been able to continue to give to the needs around them, we had one organization share that they have yet to not meet the needs.”

“Older volunteers have been unable or (understandably) unwilling to help out with the risks involved in going out in public,” Burres said.

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