Gerome Morgan of WashingtonWilkes was one of seven University of Georgia students in Tifton who were honored for community work during a national conference in Gainesville, Fla., January 12-14.

The UGA Tifton ambassadors received the National Award of Excellence in Service at the 11th annual National Agriculture Ambassador Conference. The students received a plaque and $500.

They were singled out for their overall service to charitable works in and around Tifton. Among these were a Relay for Life team and a United Way Toys for Tots collection.

They also created the “Comforts from Home Campaign.” In this program, they collected items for soldiers serving in Iraq. These included letters and pictures from elementary school students.

“I’m very proud of our ambassadors,” said Donna Webb, UGA Tifton academic program coordinator and ambassador advisor. “It proves that no matter how small an organization may be, great things can happen if everyone works together for the common goal.”

More than 400 participants from 45 universities nationwide attended the conference.

“These students and their advisors quickly adopted the whatever-ittakes philosophy that has made the UGA Tifton program such a success,” said David Bridges, UGA assistant dean for the UGA Tifton campus. “Commitment and hard work have paid off for these students.”

Students in Tifton can get a fouryear UGA degree without going to the university’s Athens campus. The Tifton program began in the fall of 2003. With 57 students now, it has majors in agri-science and environmental systems and agricultural education.

Morgan is the son of Perry and Claunette Morgan of Washington.