{ MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
“SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY:” Young Harris College Chapter of Aspiring Educators Finds Success in Helping Others By Shandra Hill Smith A focus on “serving the local community” by at Blue Ridge “joined the cause to help the children impacted by the hurricane.”
Educator, is a Young Harris senior majoring in elementary education. She also is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society, Alpha Chi Honor Society, and the Dorcas Honor Society, and is a resident assistant on campus. The Young Harris AE chapter, Vautrot shared, began in 2021 with the support of Skylar Nunley, UniServ Director for Aspiring Educators. “It has been an amazing and rewarding experience to watch the chapter grow and do great things in the name of education,” she said. Krebs, whose parents were educators at Young Harris, finds working with college students to be “extremely rewarding,” she said. “This project has really accentuated their care and compassion for all children,” Krebs added. “It has been a great honor to serve as AE adviser and professor. I am overwhelmed with pride for all they have accomplished and excited to see how they change the world one child at a time.”
Vautrot acknowledged Dr. Sandra Page, co-adviser of the Young Harris College AE chapter with being integral to the collection and delivery of contributions. She said Page also was the adviser responsible for initiating the drive. Now in its third year on the Young Harris campus, the AE chapter has a current membership of 47, and the group works to grow that number through outreach to education majors during their freshman year by encouraging participation in the group. It has taken part in many other activities, including providing care packages to Young Harris College students. “Our chapter is still growing,” said Rebecca Harris, Young Harris AE chapter president. “I can’t wait to see all of the amazing things we do to advocate for the education profession.” Harris, a Georgia Association of Educators Aspiring
advocating “for children and teaching” has spelled success for the Young Harris College chapter of GAE Aspiring Educators. Its work to serve the local community has expanded to the group assisting individuals in Northeast Tennessee who were impacted by Hurricane Helene in late September 2024. Young Harris AE collected children’s books, backpacks “and items requested to go in the backpacks” for children in Northeast Tennessee impacted by the hurricane, according to Dr. L. Diane Vautrot, chair, Department of Education at Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia. Vautrot and Dr. Susan Krebs are advisers for the AE chapter, of which Young Harris College student Rebecca Harris serves as chapter president. Krebs, a native of Young Harris, is field and clinical placements coordinator and an assistant professor of education at the college. The collections, Vautrot said, were distributed by Coalition for Kids and Appalachian Association for Children’s Early Development to children in Cocke, Unicoi, Carter, Johnson, Washington and Greene counties in East Tennessee. The group also coordinated with Phi Sigma Kappa for the book donation and for a toy drive. Vautrot said school resource officers from Union County also collected coats that the groups were able to provide to students. “The initiative quickly grew to include churches and service organizations across North Georgia,” Vautrot added. She also said in addition to Young Harris College, Union County Schools, Towns County Schools, other education agencies and systems, including Gilmer County Schools, Habersham County Schools, Clay County Schools and University of North Georgia
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