The Americus Civitan Club continued its support of South Georgia Technical College and the South Georgia Technical College Foundation recently by donating to the club’s endowed scholarship fund at South Georgia Technical College.
Cheryl Smith, President of the Americus Civitan Club presented South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford with the donation. “Thank you for what you mean to our college, the SGTC Foundation and most of all to our students,” said President Watford. “Your generous donation is helping students and families realize their dream of earning an education and finding meaningful employment. You are also giving back to our community by helping provide scholarships for skilled nurses.”
Dr. Watford shared with the Civitan Club that South Georgia Technical College’s mission is workforce education. “Our motto this year is ‘Doers & Makers @ South Georgia Tech.’ In life, there are Doers – those who act, seize opportunities and push forward despite uncertainty. It is the ‘Doers and Makers’ who shape the world, turning ideas into reality and dreams into achievements. And many times, these ‘Doers & Makers’ become the ‘Movers & Shakers’ in our communities.”
He also shared that the Bible even talked about “Doers.” “In Mark 2, there is a story about the four men who made sure their friend, a paralyzed man, received his miracle. When they couldn’t get in the door because of the large crowd, they dug a hole through a roof above Jesus’ head and lowered the man on this mat, right down in front of Jesus. These men were ‘Doers.’ They made something happen. They didn’t give up, they persevered. These are the kinds of students SGTC is graduating and putting in the workforce.”
Dr. Watford shared that SGTC has grown by over 7% since FY2025 and that the college will be graduating its first LPN to RN Bridge graduates in the next few days. He also shared about the new A.S. in Education degree for individuals hoping to become K12 teachers and the program that will allow veterans to enroll in the CDL and Electrical Lineworker eight-week programs at no cost through a special Bridge program.
“South Georgia Technical College has been providing outstanding workforce education to this community for 78 years,” continued President Watford, who added that South Georgia Technical College is continuing to grow thanks to the efforts of the Civitan Club and other community organizations.
South Georgia Technical College offers students the “complete college experience” with on-campus housing and nationally ranked academics, student activities, and intercollegiate athletics. The college provides over 200 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs.
South Georgia Technical College has a 100% job placement rate for graduates, a 12 to 1 student-teacher ratio, and provides the use of textbooks at no cost to students. Thanks to the Americus Civitan Club and other local supporters, the SGTC Foundation was able to award 787 grants and scholarships to academically deserving and financially disadvantaged students this past year.
The Americus Civitan Club is a group of citizens who volunteer in a wide range of charity projects. They conduct fundraisers and charity projects to help others in this community, with a special emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities.
Civitan International is an international organization of community service clubs with roughly 40,000 members across four continents. Club members volunteer to help others in their community, and fund the UAB Civitan International Research Center, a world-class medical facility dedicated to researching developmental disabilities and other cognitive disorders. For more information, visit www.civitan.org, or call 1-800-CIVITAN.
“I would like to add my thanks to the Americus Civitan Club for their support of our students,” said Su Ann Bird, South Georgia Technical College Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the SGTC Foundation. “This scholarship is very important to our nursing students. We appreciate your willingness to provide the funds that help these deserving students financially with tuition, uniforms, and state board exams.”
The Americus Civitan Club has been sponsoring individual scholarships at South Georgia Technical College since September 2003. Forty nursing students have already received Americus Civitan Club scholarships.
“Partnerships like this one and others are crucial to our success,” said Dr. Watford. “Your investment in an endowed scholarship will continue to give back to our students indefinitely. We appreciate what you are doing here and in our community. Thank you again for recognizing the value of the educational opportunities that we are able to provide to our students.”
For more information about donating to the SGTC Foundation or endowing a scholarship at South Georgia Technical College, contact Su Ann Bird, SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement at 229.931.2110 or sbird@southgatech.edu. Contributions may also be mailed to the SGTC Foundation, P.O. Box 6102, Americus, GA.
To learn more about the over 200 different associate degree, diploma, or technical certificate of credit programs and the free books offer available at South Georgia Technical College, contact the admissions at 229-931-2394 in Americus or 229-271-4040 in Cordele. 
SGTC President Dr. John Watford holds up one of the college's new "Doers & Makers t-shirts.