AFCEA Henry M. Chestnut Scholarship Awarded to Two High School Seniors

Alya Akhtar (left) and Nicholas Plantamura (right) are the 2023 recipients of the Henry M. Chestnut Scholarship awarded through the Augusta-Ft. Gordon AFCEA Educational Foundation. Each student will receive $2,000 to use towards their college degree.

Alya graduated from Lakeside High School and plans to major in Neuroscience at Georgia Tech. Nicholas also graduated from Lakeside High School and plans to major in Chemistry at Georgia Tech.

We created the Henry M. Chestnut Scholarship in 2019 to honor of Ben’s beloved father, Henry M. Chestnut, whose military career helped inspire his love of technology and industrial design. It’s an annual scholarship for two students who have shown excellence in STEM subjects and who plan to seek a bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related field at a four-year institution or community college, so long as they intend to transfer and complete their bachelor’s degree. The Augusta-Ft. Gordon chapter’s scholarship committee selects the recipients every year.

Ben Chestnut was a recipient of an AFCEA scholarship in 1996, which proved to be transformational. We’re proud to give students this same opportunity and wish Alya and Nicholas the best of luck as they continue their studies!

$15,000 Gift to Support Out of Hand Theater's Creative Kids Program

For the second year in a row, the Chestnut Family Foundation has donated $15,000 to Out of Hand Theater to support their Creative Kids Program. We are excited to support this educational program for children that offers free in-school and after-school theater training to schools serving high-poverty student populations. The kids will receive 15 weeks of free theatre training classes, through which Out of Hand will teach them confidence, communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills. Out of Hand recently expanded this program to five schools, and they have implemented workshops to provide opportunities to introduce more students to theater education through a one-time experience.

Out of Hand Theater started in 2001 with the vision of creating a new kind of theater. They seek to use the tools of theater to spark conversations and build a better world.

$250,000 Gift to the Chastain Horse Park to Support the Healing through Horses Campaign

The Chestnut Family Foundation has donated $250,000 to Chastain Horse Park’s Healing through Horses capital campaign. The campaign will help support Chastain Horse Park’s plans to double the number of equine-assisted therapeutic sessions they provide each year. Funds raised through the campaign are being used to construct a Therapeutic Horsemanship Center, an additional arena for therapeutic programming, and new outdoor space for their horses.

Chastain Horse Park is committed to empowering individuals of all abilities through life-changing relationships with horses. They currently conduct over 5,000 therapeutic sessions each year with a focus on the disability community.

We are moved by the powerful impact of Chastain Horse Park’s work on young people with disabilities and honored to be a small part of the expansion of their programming.

$300,000 Two-Year Commitment to the Augusta Mini Theatre

The Chestnut Family Foundation has made a two-year commitment of $300,000 to Augusta Mini Theatre to help develop the sustainability of this important and impactful community arts and life skills school.

Under the charismatic leadership of Tyrone Butler and Judith Simon-Butler, Augusta Mini Theatre has provided opportunities in Augusta since 1975 for the artistic needs of the children who have been historically under-served.  Their work extends beyond the development of artistic skills to teaching life skills. The impact of Augusta Mini Theatre’s programs is demonstrated by the positive choices made by their students including the fact that none of their students has ever dropped out of school.

We are excited to see the further development of Augusta Mini Theatre and the strengthening of the legacy the Butlers have given to the Augusta community.

Partnership with the Join Together Society (JTS) America

The Chestnut Family Foundation has donated a total of $2.25 million to JTS America. Our gifts support disaster relief provided by JTS America to Rohingya refugees and victims of the heavy floods in Pakistan. In addition, the donation will helps fund the expansion of the JTS school programs in India and the Philippines.

JTS America practices humanitarianism by helping those in need around the globe. Its work includes the provision of practical support to underprivileged communities affected by disasters, and the development of school education in some of the poorest areas of India and the Philippines.

We are moved by the impact of JTS’s support of communities in desperate need of assistance and are honored to be able to support this work