The Tifton-Tift County Main Street program was recently awarded a 2009 Hands On Georgia State Challenge Grant for $10,000. The grant will help to build an organization of volunteers and engage citizens in opportunities to bring about change in the community.

Lequrica Gaskins, the Main Street director, said that she is excited about the opportunity to build community partnerships and looks forward to adding resources to the community’s volunteer base. Fran Kinchen will serve as the coordinator for the project.

The Tifton-Tift County Main Street Program will provide a 100 percent match of the State Challenge Grant to increase the final award to $20,000. In addition to funding a partnership with Hands On Georgia, the grant will aid local agencies in coordinating the many volunteer opportunities and activities in Tifton.

The 2009 State Challenge Grants were awarded to only 18 community organizations in the state.

“We’re extremely pleased and impressed with the programs chosen to receive this year’s challenge grants,” said Laurie Grant Nichols, CEO of Hands On Georgia. “The recipients represent a broad range of communities from across the state.”

Nichols said that the grants will help establish solid volunteer programs that engage the communities, making it easier for people to give of their time to meet the communities’ needs.

The State Challenge Grants are distributed by Hands On Georgia and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. During the 2009 fiscal year, $180,000 was available to Georgia communities to build sustainable volunteer programs. The grant requires each recipient to match 100 percent of the grant award amount with locally raised funds.

Over the past four years, Hands On Georgia Challenge Grants totaling $680,000 have been awarded to 34 community organizations. Cities, in addition to Tifton, receiving grants this year include Athens, Atlanta, Brunswick, Dalton, Harlem, Macon, Milledgeville and Savannah. County-wide grants have been awarded to Cook, Turner, Dooly, Forsyth, Newton, Thomas and Wayne counties. In addition, Lutheran Services of Georgia and United Way of the Central Savannah River Area in Augusta also received funding.

Hands on Georgia is a statewide network that supports innovative volunteer approaches to meeting Georgia’s critical needs through service and civic engagement. The program calls upon the citizens of Georgia to help tackle tough issues in the state through volunteer service and engaged citizenship. Hands On Georgia currently has 14 affiliates in the communities of Athens, Atlanta, Brunswick, Columbus, Dalton, Dooly County, Forsyth County, Harlem, Macon, Milledgeville, Newton County, Savannah, Thomas County and Wayne County.

For more information, visit www.handsongeorgia.org.