Sahm Awards support local partnerships with UGA

This story, written by Marissa Ankeny, was originally published on UGA Today on March 28, 2025.

The University of Georgia continues to strengthen its commitment to working in partnership with Athens-Clarke County organizations through an endowment established by Athens native and UGA alumna Bobbi Meeler Sahm and her family.

Four collaborative local projects between UGA and Athens-Clarke County organizations have been selected to receive a total of $35,000 as part of the Bobbi Meeler Sahm Service and Outreach Awards for 2025.

The endowment, established in 2021 by Sahm and her family, supports collaborative efforts of organizations working with UGA to positively impact the quality of life for community residents. The fund, held by the UGA Foundation, is distributed yearly to awarded projects. Inspired by the gift and its local impact, UGA President Jere W. Morehead directed additional discretionary funds in the inaugural year of the initiative.

Including the 2025 awards, the fund will have directed more than $145,000 into UGA and Athens-Clarke County partnerships that benefit the local community.

The 2025 Bobbi Meeler Sahm Service and Outreach Award recipients are:

Clarke County School District / J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership, and Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant: “Georgia Possible Explores the Coast” — A three-day coastal field research experience for students enrolled in Georgia Possible (grades 10-12), many of whom plan to be first-generation college students.
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Athens / College of Family and Consumer Sciences: “Dollars and Dreams: Workforce and Wealth Development Program” — Workshops, seminars and activities designed to increase career and financial preparedness for students in grades four through 12 and young adults ages 18-22.
Athenspets / College of Veterinary Medicine: “UGA Shelter Medicine Community Outreach Clinic” — A collaborative initiative to improve the quality of life for Athens’ most vulnerable residents by helping them care for their pets while providing hands-on experience for UGA students and staff.
Bigger Vision and Clarke County School District / AU/UGA Medical Partnership: “Athens Free Clinic Hearing Project” — The purchase of audiometers to bridge gaps in access to hearing services, enabling screening, diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss in the Athens Free Clinic and Clarke County School District communities.

Award winners were selected by a committee of representatives from UGA and the Athens-Clarke County community. Applications for the next round of funding will be accepted in fall 2025.

“Thanks to the generosity of Bobbi Sahm and the support of President Morehead, the University of Georgia’s deep roots of public service will continue to grow in the Athens-Clarke County community,” said Matt Bishop, interim vice president for public service and outreach. “The impact is expanded through the power of partnership.”

Past award recipients include partnerships with organizations such as the Athens Community Council on Aging, Athens FARM RX, Athens YMCA, Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, Clarke County School District and Sandy Creek Nature Center.

To learn more about the Sahm Award, go to https://outreach.uga.edu/awards/bobbi-meeler-sahm-service-and-outreach-award/.