Bartow Resident Named CTC Volunteer of the Year

From Chattahoochee Tech: Described by her peers as a constant champion of technical education, Susan Stephens, 68, was named Volunteer of the Year by the Chattahoochee Tech Foundation for her commitment to Chattahoochee Technical College and its students as a longtime member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

The newly created Volunteer of the Year award was presented at the Foundation’s annual Scholarship Reception held Friday, April 21, in Marietta. CTC’s Executive Director for Development Melanie Lambert praised Stephens for going above and beyond the call of duty during the 2016-17 academic year.

“Susan Stephens is truly one of those volunteers that development staff dream about,” Lambert said. “She is whole-heartedly committed to helping our students and never stops thinking about ways that she can connect potential donors with the life-changing work happening at Chattahoochee Tech. She is always just one phone call or one email away whenever staff need assistance. It is an honor and pleasure to work with her, and we have no doubt that she will continue to be a partner in our mission for years to come.” Foundation Chair Don Barbour shared a similar sentiment.

“We truly could not do all that needs to get done for our students without our volunteers, and our Volunteer of the Year award recipient is a perfect example of that commitment,” Barbour said. “Susan has served the Technical College System of Georgia in some capacity for most of her life. She willingly shares that she graduated from high school on a Friday and started working at a technical college the following Monday. She jokes that we keep changing the date that her term ends because we don’t want her to leave. She’s right.”

After graduating from Cartersville High School in 1966, Stephens, who has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Shorter College, was hired at Coosa Valley Tech, where she worked for 25 years before taking a position at the former North Metro Tech. In July 2009, when North Metro Tech merged with Chattahoochee Technical College, Stephens began volunteering with the Chattahoochee Tech Foundation — a nonprofit designed to provide philanthropic support to the college, its students, and programs. Stephens, who has served in various roles on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, said it has been an honor to advocate for technical education and the difference it can make in the lives of students.

“I have personally witnessed what training and education can do for a person, a family and a community,” she said. “When the foundations were formed in the late ‘80s, I was employed at Coosa Valley Tech, and, at that time, was the executive director of their foundation. It was a new frontier for the technical colleges, and I immediately saw how the trustees could assist the college and the students to further the mission of putting people to work. I think my vocation is helping people to help themselves. It makes me happy to see people succeed.”

To Stephens, a volunteer is a person who gives to the greater good — someone who spreads hope and presents opportunities to others. Through her unwavering commitment to Chattahoochee Tech Foundation, Stephens was instrumental in assisting the nonprofit in reviving its Reverse Raffle this past fall. She personally engaged 37 donors and generated $5,000 for the event, which ultimately raised $24,000. Stephens also helped the Foundation secure a new scholarship from The Magnolia Garden Club in Cartersville.

“I am honored to have served as treasurer and a member of the executive board. I am a cheerleader and I love people,” she said. “We have the greatest people at Chattahoochee Tech and our trustees are dedicated to making the Foundation successful. I enjoy the fact that we can have fun and work as a team to make things happen. I feel blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful, dedicated and hardworking people.”

Images Courtesy of Chattahoochee Tech