Thomasville National Bank has been named Thomas County School System’s BEE Partner of the Year for 2021-2022. The Business and Education Exchange (BEE) Partner of the Year is chosen from the outstanding BEE Partners who work with Thomas County Schools to strengthen the link among schools, businesses/industries, and the community.

“Each BEE Partner makes a lasting impact on the lives of Thomas County students and staff, and we are all better as a result of these relationships,” said Erin Rehberg, digital learning and media services coordinator for Thomas County Schools. “We are especially thankful for the businesses that have gone above and beyond to support our schools during this challenging year.”

Dr. Lisa Williams, superintendent of Thomas County Schools, said, “Though the types of our partnership activities vary greatly, the common goal of all of our partnerships is the improvement of educational experiences for our students, and because of this our students’ lives are enriched in ways that would never be possible without the help of our BEE partners. We are very appreciative of the support that Thomasville National Bank has provided to our system for many years and in a multitude of ways.”

Thomasville National Bank’s support has benefitted every school in the district. Garrison-Pilcher Elementary School nominated Thomasville National Bank for the distinguished BEE Partner of the Year Award this year.

Melvin Hugans, TNB’s community reinvestment officer, attended the June board meeting to receive a plaque on behalf of the bank.

“Thomasville National Bank is committed to providing resources to help develop productive citizens, which ultimately contribute to the overall betterment of the community,” Hugans said. “Thomas County schools is an outstanding community partner. We are excited to be a part of their mission to develop world class students.”

In addition to providing financial literacy instruction for students, Thomasville National Bank donated books and materials for school media centers and helped supply items for fundraisers. The TNB staff also provided a refillable water bottle for students to use at the new water filling stations in the schools. Additionally, the system Teacher of the Year received a cash reward from the bank. TNB staff is already planning to provide lunch for new teacher induction and is researching ways to provide technology resources for students in need.

“This business has been very generous by pouring out into each of the schools for numerous reasons. A BEE partner doesn’t support just one school, they support the system,” said Amy Robinson, principal of Garrison-Pilcher Elementary. “Thomasville National Bank has shown a lot of support to our system and we are very appreciative of that.”