Georgia-Cumberland Academy in Calhoun, Georgia, Completes Campus Upgrades After $21.6 Million Fundraising Drive

The Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA) began the 2020-2021 school year with an opening enrollment of 261, an increase of 11 students over the previous year. The school began the year in the middle of a pandemic and is upgrading its campus facilities to continue serving Adventist families, according to the school’s account.

The source says the school’s current effort builds on an earlier vision. In the early 1960s, a plan for a boarding academy moved from an architectural concept to a completed campus. GCA opened in 1965 with 166 students. The source says the school has since worked to nurture students’ faith in God, their connections to the Adventist Church, and their preparation for careers of service and leadership.

In the 50 years after its opening, the school added some buildings and renovated others, but the source says it remained much the same as it was in 1965. Principal Greg Gerard said, “We knew it was time to provide facilities that would meet the needs of our students and staff and take Georgia-Cumberland Academy into the future.” The source says financial obstacles seemed insurmountable at the time.

An unexpected, unrestricted gift of $50,000 was made to GCA in late 2012, and the school then hired an architect to put its vision on paper. In 2015, the school launched a major fundraising initiative called Continuing the Mission, with an end date of December 2020 and a goal of $12.5 million for facilities, student support, and program enhancements. Gerard said the goal “was an audacious goal that felt very much out of reach,” adding, “But God had wonderful surprises in store!”

According to the source, the $50,000 gift encouraged others to give, and the vision presented to friends and alumni led to giving the school described as unprecedented. Pledges and gifts totaled $21,648,908 as of December 31, 2020. The source frames this generosity as a way of sharing resources with others, a pattern the school links to the practice of doing good and sharing what one has (Hebrews 13:16).

Cameron Morrison, a member of the class of 2021, said, “To be able to attend GCA is a blessing. Because of my time here, I have grown in so many ways, including the way my relationship with Christ has developed while at GCA. None of this would have happened without the help of generous people!”

Gary Rustad, president of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, said that witnessing GCA’s story encouraged him that similar progress is possible at each Adventist school in the North American Division. “Good leadership, a clear vision, dedicated supporters, and a commitment to making God the center of the process will truly strengthen Adventist Education as we move into the future.”

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