October Fellowship Retreat

Saturday in Athens entails waking up early, brewing some coffee, and preparing for the big . . . volunteer event? On Saturday, October 7th, Representative Spencer Frye’s Fellowship team, comprised of University of Georgia students, embarked on a unique beginning to their weekend by partaking in the Fellowship Retreat. The purpose of the Fellowship team is to assist Representative Frye in promoting his platform to constituents, to research pertinent local policy topics, and to introduce the fellows to the administrative components of the office of an elected politician.

The first component of the retreat for the fellows was volunteering at a local Habitat for Humanity build site. Painting interior walls, distributing cement, and organizing scrap wood were just a few of the tasks that the Fellowship team completed, all while bonding and getting to know one another. A non-profit organization with significant ties to the Fellowship and Representative Frye as the Executive Director, the Athens area Habitat for Humanity will have supported fifty Athens families in having their own homes upon completion of the construction of the Magnolia Terrace homes. Volunteering time and effort is crucial in the public service domain, and the Fellowship team helped execute significant advancements on the building of several Habitat homes.

After the fellows finished their volunteering tasks, the group transitioned to a meeting room for the second portion of the Fellowship Retreat. There, they participated in team building activities and culminated with a discussion involving current pressing policy topics. In light of recent traumatic events, the majority of the dialogue concentrated on the issue of gun control regulations, at the local, state, and national levels, and Fellows voiced and debated their personal opinions regarding the topic.

Overall, the Fellowship Retreat was a successful beginning to a year of fast-paced, informative, and collaborative action with Representative Spencer Frye. The fellows are eager to undertake their roles and to devote their time to improving Athens!