Nine years ago, Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Inc. joined other rural telecommunications companies across the nation by sponsoring highly recommended students from the Pineland service area to visit Washington, DC during the early summer. Since 1995, FRS has hosted the Youth Tour to thousands of high school students from across rural America, allowing them to visit our nation’s capital, see our government in action, and learn about rural telecommunications. The tour provides a forum for teens to meet and interact with their peers from other rural communities, as well as key legislative, regulatory, and government figures.
Janelle Spivey served as Pineland’s sponsored representative on this year’s tour, held the first week of June. Janelle, a resident of Jenkins County, is a life-long home educated student in the senior year of her studies. She is the daughter of Rick and Lynn Spivey. A dedicated student, Janelle plans to attend Covenant College in the fall with over twenty dual enrollment credits. She has maintained full-time dual enrollment status at Toccoa Falls College since her junior year and was recognized for her academic achievements on the fall Dean’s List.
Actively involved in the Bulloch County 4-H Club, Janelle has served on the organization’s leadership board promoting, organizing, and hosting community events, represented the club at 4-H Day at the Capital 2024, volunteered as a 4-H Teen Leader for the Southeast District Junior Conference in 2022 and 2024, and was selected and attended Natural Resources Exploration Camp 2023 where she will return this year to lead and mentor first-year attendees. Janelle has placed in various 4-H competitions including 1st in the Forestry and Wood Science category at the Georgia 4-H Southeast District Project Achievement, 1st with her team in the 4-H Forestry Judging at district and state levels, and 3rd in the nation at the Invitational in West Virginia. She was twice awarded Georgia Master 4-H’er status.
In addition to her academic and civic dedication, Janelle has served her community through volunteering at her church and advocating for environmental health concerns. She also manages a small craft business, Bluejay Crafts, and provides care for her siblings and grandmother. Her hobbies include managing her organic garden, tending to her chickens, reading, music, learning new languages, fiber arts, and the subject of sustainable and social agriculture in rural communities.
“Janelle’s dedication and self-discipline is evident in her many commitments and accomplishments,” says Dustin Durden, Pineland’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are proud to support The Foundation for Rural Service and the opportunities they provide to our area students.”
The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) was established in 1994 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) by NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association and plays a unique role within the telecommunications industry by supporting rural telecom companies, consumers and policymakers with educational information, products, and programming.
Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Inc. serves over 1,300 square miles with its Phone, Internet, and Technology services in all or parts of ten counties in South Georgia. In its 73rd year, 100% of Pineland’s Phone and Internet customers receive their services via a Fiber-to-the-Home network offering Gigabit enabled broadband connections. Pineland’s mission is to offer an outstanding customer experience through the efficient delivery of progressive technology solutions in the markets served. We will achieve this mission by applying our Core Values of Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, and a Servant’s Heart in everything we do.
The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS), the philanthropic arm of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association and its members, seeks to sustain and enhance the quality of life in rural America by advancing an understanding of rural issues. Through scholarships, grants, and a variety of educational programs, FRS focuses on educating rural youth, encouraging community development, and introducing policymakers to challenges unique to rural communities. Visit us at www.frs.org.
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. In an era of transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges, and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture, and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.
