Georgia to Georgia, Inc. has its roots in a well-established mission program at Atlanta’s Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, known as "TeamGeorgia." Beginning in 1999, Team Georgia made their first trip to the Republic of Georgia to provide relief to children and families devastated since gaining their independence in 1990. Through annual two-week trips to this newly independent country, Team Georgia has made a significant difference in the lives of hundreds of children in the Republic of Georgia. In 2003 three people from Marietta First United Methodist Church, including Georgia to Georgia, Inc. president Cecil Fike and his wife, went to Georgia with Team Georgia. That year the team divided into two work groups; one group worked with children from the Etseri Orphanage in Samtredia, a small town outside of Kutaisi. The second group worked in a school in Kitski, another town near Kutaisi. During these two weeks a few team members went to the neighboring Rioni School For Deaf Children to do some painting and renovation work. During the work it was learned that handicaped children were even more at risk than those at the orphanage, since society in Georgia often does not welcome those with handicaps. In 2004, two separate teams made the trip to Georgia. The first team worked primarily at the Rioni School for Deaf Children.The number from Marietta First had increased to 5 team members and they went on the second team. The 2004 Team Two, once again conducted the day camp for the children from Etseri, and several members of Team 2 continued a plumbing and painting at Rioni School for Deaf Children. In the summer of 2004, a fund-raising venture was initiated by Cecil Fike, in an attempt to obtain a small dairy herd for the Rioni School for Deaf Children. The idea for the dairy herd was germinated during the 2004 trip, and the focus was to be on reintroducing farming skills in a small way. This would be “teaching a man to fish,” and would allow the School to provide milk and cheese for its students, and perhaps have a little left to sell for other needed supplies. The campaign raised about $4000 from individuals who gave $100 each (enough to buy a cow) for “naming rights”, and during the fall of 2004 Cecil Fike went to Georgia and personally scoured the countryside with a School representative, buying cows where they could find them. The cows were then walked as much as 40 miles to the school, since transport was not available 2005 saw the organization of a separate team from Marietta First United Methodist Church. This team recognized that while painting walls and entertaining children were worthwhile endeavors, the educational and medical needs of the children of Georgia were far greater than could be addressed by teams who spent only two weeks per year in the country. It was apparent that the costs were much greater than could be raised exclusively from local church budgets; it was also obvious that much needed to be done that could only be accomplished if there was no underlying motive of “evangelistic missions” since corporations typically will not donate to faith-based organizations. When the team returned home, steps were begun to establish Georgia to Georgia, Inc. 2006 was the coldest winter in recent history in Georgia. We received an email from a Tblisi–based volunteer that the School had lost some of the cows to the cold, that part of the barn roof had collapsed from snow weight, and that they were feeding the remaining cattle the seed corn planned for next spring’s planting. The donors who had previously sponsored cows came through with another $1900, which was used to replace the seed corn and fix the barn, with the remainder to be spent to hire a full-time herder at $100 per month. In May of 2006, in order to better coordinate fund raising, and with the realization that businesses do not donate to faith-based organizations, Georgia to Georgia, Inc. was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) public charity, to accomplish humanitarian assistance to Georgia. In July, 2006 two directors of the Corporation journeyed to Georgia to determine program priorities, to open dialog with government officials regarding our program priorities, and to put students in school for the following year. In September, 2007, two directors again traveled to Georgia, to place students in school, to meet with and follow up on three sponsored students who finished their schooling in the spring of 2007, and to firm up plans with the Samtredia District Administrator for his office to provide us with names and financial information on needy students/orphans in his district, for consideration for the 2008 school year. Through his offices we were able to sponsor two students this year who are attending university level institutions. The Summer of 2008 saw the Russian army invade Georgia through both Abkhazia and South Ossetia, ranging down to Gori in the east, and to Poti on the Black Sea coast. Plans to visit Georgia to place more students in school were put on hold during the hostilities, and we began to cast around to see how we could most effectively help the situation.  In September of 2008 we were approached by the Atlanta-Tbilisi Sister Cities Committee to act as a 501(c)(3) to manage funds being raised by them for relief efforts in Georgia, and we quickly agreed. To forge closer ties with this organization, two members of ATSSC, John Hall and Scott Henwood, were invited to join the Georgia to Georgia board, and a third board member, Lynn Banks, was added based on her years of experience in providing aid to Georgia. Georgia to Georgia, Inc. is now positioned to be an "umbrella" organization whereby ATSSC and other Georgia relief groups in the Atlanta can raise funds, and can provide financial assistance to various relief projects in Georgia.