GREENSBORO, Ga. — Green County Habitat for Humanity is pleased to honor and congratulate Kirsten Aiken, Samantha Geter, Laniyah Hall, Jasper Kimbrough, and Jamari Lawrence for successfully completing high school.

For many years, kids living in Greene County Habitat for Humanity homes have been part of an education program unique to Greene County Habitat.  One part of the program, started by Dave Thillen in 2001,  involves placing computers with age-appropriate software in every Habitat home and ensuring the software stays updated.  The second part of the program begins when the children reach high school.   A unique, structured career plan is developed for each student.  The plans evolve over each student’s high school experience to match their hopes and aspirations and serve as a useful tool as decisions are made regarding their future. The program also includes a promise that every student who continues their education beyond high school will receive a $1,000 scholarship and a laptop computer. This program has had an enormous impact on the future of all children raised in our Greene County Habitat homes. 

Thillen’s very successful education program has since grown into the entire Greene College and Career Academy, offering every student at Greene County High School the opportunity to benefit from having a career coach. The number of career coaches is currently around 60 with an anticipated 30 additional coaches being added to work with the incoming freshman class.  For Habitat students, placement and maintenance of computers in our homes is now overseen by Hernendez Wynn – a student raised in a Greene County Habitat home who benefitted from our coaching program and is currently a junior at UGA. It is wonderful to see members of the Habitat community giving back and helping to provide support and opportunities for those coming behind them. 

In the 15 years since the career coaching part of the program was initiated by Thillen, 95% of all high school students graduated and 84% have gone on to college, technical college or the military.  There are currently 15 college graduates from Greene County Habitat for Humanity homes.

Greene County Habitat for Humanity is proud of all five of our graduates and their commitment to completing their high school education and to those who plan to continue their education. 

Greene County Habitat for Humanity volunteers builds homes in partnership with future homeowners. With support, resources and volunteers from the local community, we make safe, decent, and affordable housing available to low-income families. Through both monetary and in-kind donations and volunteer services, a total of 63 homes have been built since our inception in 1996. Greene County Habitat is the largest non-profit residential builder of affordable homes in the Lake Oconee area. 

If you would like to donate or volunteer, please contact Greene County Habitat at 706-453-1718 or go to  habitatgreene.org for more information.