Athens: Home Sweet Home

The last three and a half years of college, I've been lucky enough to call Athens, Georgia my home.  I love it here, UGA offers so many opportunities and it's so much fun for someone my age to be here.  Athens is recognized throughout the country as one of the best college towns, we have a thriving music and bar scene, and UGA's football team constantly makes headlines.

All that being said, would you believe Athens' poverty rate is the 5th highest in the nation for counties with populations of 100,000 or more?  What about the fact that 28% of the people living in Athens live in poverty, or that one in four Clarke County children lives in poverty?  Until I started researching the poverty situation in Athens for my PR Campaigns class, I would have never believed these statistics.

As UGA students, we tend not to see the community outside of the campus bubble we spend the majority of our time on.  Sure, we all drive through the "bad parts" of town - but every county has those, right?  

These statistics and ways of thinking are at the root of the problem my campaign team plans to tackle this semester.  We will be working with various foundations and institutions to combat poverty in the Athens-Clarke County.  We're just now delving into the details of our clients, and have been brainstorming questions and issues to address.  My initial reaction to this campaign can be summed up in one word - overwhelmed.  How are 22 UGA seniors supposed to combat such a huge problem that has been plagued generation after generation?  I guess that's something we'll figure out over the next few months... stay tuned!