SR225: SR225 Rise Augusta; congratulate

This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It recognizes Rise Augusta, an Augusta-area nonprofit that has supported Richmond County students since 1997, for receiving the Georgia Reads Community Award from the Georgia Council on Literacy. The resolution recounts that Rise Augusta began as Communities In Schools Augusta-Richmond County and became an independent organization in 2020, partnering with the Richmond County School System, the CSRA Community Foundation, the Regional Educational Services Agency, and the Jessye Norman School of the Arts to improve student literacy. The Senate formally congratulates the organization and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send it a copy of the resolution as a keepsake.

• Formally congratulates and commends Rise Augusta for receiving the Georgia Reads Community Award for literacy work in Richmond County.
• Recites Rise Augusta's history since 1997 and its 2020 transition from Communities In Schools Augusta-Richmond County into an independent nonprofit.
• Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Rise Augusta.
• Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a symbolic statement of the Senate's recognition.

The resolution directly names Rise Augusta and its partner organizations, including the Richmond County School System, the CSRA Community Foundation, the Regional Educational Services Agency, and the Jessye Norman School of the Arts. It has no legal effect on the public at large.

The resolution carries no legal or financial consequence but serves as an official, public acknowledgment from the Georgia Senate of a local nonprofit's literacy work, which can raise the organization's visibility and support its community partnerships.

• Whereas clauses describe the Georgia Council on Literacy and the criteria for the Georgia Reads Community Award, including sustained multi-organization partnerships of at least three years.
• Whereas clauses detail Rise Augusta's history since 1997 and its 2020 shift to independent, community-driven status.
• The resolved clause formally congratulates and commends Rise Augusta and other Georgia Reads Community Award recipients.
• A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to Rise Augusta.

1. 2025-02-20Senate Read and Adopted (Senate)
2. 2025-02-19Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)Primary sponsor
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)

• literacy programs
• Augusta community award
• Richmond County schools
• Georgia Senate resolution