Hart County Charter System

Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen. That is a powerful statement, and it is one being repeated in Hart County and throughout Georgia.

Now in its fifth year, the REACH Hart Community Education Foundation (REACH Hart) Program has partnered with REACH Georgia to encourage Hart County Charter System students to seek higher education and broaden their options for future careers.

Since launching in 2012, REACH Georgia has become a key component of Governor Nathan Deal’s Complete College Georgia initiative. While the program began as a two-year pilot program, it has grown exponentially during the last six years with more than 100 Georgia school systems and more than 1,200 students participating. REACH Georgia is on track to be in all 180 school systems across the state of Georgia by the 2021-2022 school year, serving more than 3,000 REACH scholars.

REACH Hart was founded in 2017, then grew in 2018 to form a non-profit 501 (c) (3) foundation to further support its efforts through donations from community members and businesses. Both REACH Hart and REACH Georgia’s mission align to ensure Georgia’s academically promising students have the academic, social and financial support needed to graduate high school, access a college education and achieve postsecondary success. 

REACH is a mentoring and scholarship program which begins in the 8th grade with the identification of academically promising students, most of whom will be first generation college graduates. The five annually selected REACH scholars in each class are paired with a volunteer community mentor and an academic coach, both of whom help guide the scholar throughout their middle and high school years.

REACH scholars participate in special programs and events focused on preparing them for completing college and moving into future careers. These events can include college campus tours, visits to local businesses and industries for hands-on experience and observation, one-on-one tutoring sessions, and academically stimulating field trips. Upon graduation from high school, REACH scholars are awarded up to a $10,000 scholarship during the course of four years, which may be used at any Georgia HOPE-eligible two- or four-year college. Many of Georgia’s colleges have committed to matching or double-matching the $10,000 scholarship to provide additional resources for these students.

To help ensure a strong program stays strong in Hart County and other Georgia communities, the REACH Georgia Foundation and then the REACH Hart Community Education Foundation were established with a simultaneous missions to fund the REACH Program in partnership with the local philanthropic support of individuals, charitable foundations and corporations.

In Hart County, the REACH Hart program has been welcomed by the community, with donor support always appreciated to further the academic support of the foundation’s students. Local donations to REACH Hart help leverage both the $10,000 scholarship upon a REACH scholar’s graduation as well as an investment which allows these scholars to achieve their dreams, set positive examples for their peers, and contribute their educational achievements and successes within the community. 

Overall, the goal of both REACH Hart and REACH Georgia is to provide a long-term support structure, which will ensure these scholars have a firm foundation to be successful, productive adults, who earned this opportunity they otherwise may not have been able to reach.

To provide support or learn more about the REACH Hart program, please email onehartbeatfoundation@gmail.com. Support for these education efforts may also be mailed to REACH Hart Community Education Foundation P.O. Box 696/ 284 Campbell Drive, Hartwell, Ga, 30643.

REACH Hart Class of 2022       

REACH Hart Class of 2023