Georgia-Pacific
Last year, Georgia-Pacific's Palatka Pulp and Paper Operations and its employees contributed more than $150,000 to Putnam and surrounding counties in community programs. In addition to financial contributions, hundreds of GP Palatka employees committed time and attention to improving our community through countless service organizations.
GP Palatka was proud to be recognized at the Commissioner's Business Recognition Awards Ceremony as Putnam County School District's Business Partner of the Year in 2002 and 2003 for sponsoring and participating in educational programs such as: GP Mini-Grants, Jenkins Middle School Partnership in Education, school mentors, Read Across America, the Keystone Institute, Putnam County Science Fair, GP Speakers Bureau, Newspaper in Education, Putnam County's Clean Hands Program, Old Palatka Water Works Educational Restoration Project, Audubon Adventures, Eighth Grade honors Banquet, Project Graduation and numerous extracurricular activities.
Celebrating our "44th Year of Caring," employees at Georgia-Pacific's Palatka Pulp and Paper Operations completed our recent fundraising effort by pledging a record $80,164, which surpasses our 2001 record mark of $74,428. The contributions raised through the Georgia-Pacific Employees Charitable Contribution Fund (GPECCF) will be used to help more than 70 local and regional charitable organizations. These funds, representing a 14 percent increase over last year's total ($69,436), will be distributed throughout 2003.
Among the agencies that will benefit from the generosity of our Georgia-Pacific employees are: the Putnam County Unit of the American Cancer Society (which will receive $6,846), Rodeheaver Boys' Ranch ($5,770), Hospice of the Lakes ($4,109), Bread of Life ($3,628), Cystic Fibrosis ($3,863), United Negro College Fund ($2,988), American Heart Association ($2,853), Gideon's International ($2,816), STOP! Children's Cancer ($2,779), Boy Scouts ($2,383) and the March of Dimes ($2,169).
In addition, volunteer fire departments throughout the county will share in contributions totaling $7,578, while more than $35,000 will go to numerous other charitable, health-related, research, educational, and community service agencies.
"The 2003 charity drive total illustrates the commitment of our GP Palatka employees to the community in which we work and live," said Ted Kennedy, vice president of Palatka Operations. "To contribute a record total of more than $80,000 during these difficult economic times is simply amazing and shows great caring." Since GPECCF's inception in 1960, employees at Georgia-Pacific's Palatka's Pulp and Paper Operations employees have contributed more than $2 million to help others.
