What is the Connections Program?
In 2013, the Scholarship Committee of the Lake Rabun Foundation established the Connections Program as a means for a Lake Rabun Association individual or family to partner and connect with one of our scholarship recipients. The Connections family is the “face behind the financial gift”, introducing the student to our lake community, as well as a match with common interests such as proposed majors, careers, hobbies, or personalities. The program offers each student a cheerleader and friend to boost confidence and motivation while he or she is in college. These relationships help our students understand that their scholarships are much more than merely a series of checks that are sent to their colleges. Furthermore, the program reinforces that the Lake Rabun community is proud to play a small part in the student’s academic journey.
These Connections are just as meaningful and valuable to our LRA members, as noted in recent comments:
“She is a delight, in her first year at UGA, and working hard. She and I email sporadically and have met in Clayton for lunch, which was very enjoyable , and we’ll do that again when she is out of school for the summer. All in all , I think the LRA mentoring program is great not only for the students, but for us as well!”
“I do love seeing the students involved in Lake events! Being a Connection person, it’s a wonderful experience that I would recommend to others.”
“I would consider us good friends-we share common interests and I make the time and effort in getting to know him and spend time with him.”
“I keep in touch with her via Instagram, email, and text. We communicate about every two months, and I enjoy hearing about her time at UGA, internships, and summer jobs. We meet in person in Clayton or Lakemont for coffee or lunch to catch up when she’s out of school.”
“We exchange emails with her every few months and meet her for lunch about once a quarter. We’ve enjoyed getting to know her. She’s very self-directed and doesn’t need much from us to stay on track.”
“It has been a very positive experience for me. Having only one son, I missed the experience of having a daughter. Because of my student, I have a snippet of that experience and it has been meaningful to me.”
If you would like to be involved, please contact Lisa Hoffman, Chairperson of the Connections Program.
Lisa Hoffman
[email protected]
678-595-9595
