Forward Rabun Youth Leadership Truly ‘Empowered’

By: Rick Story
March 25, 2025

            Forward Rabun’s Youth Leadership group concluded its final community visit of the year last week, as the group toured Rabun’s Mathis Dam and the Terrora Power Plant.  Georgia Power played host to the group as Local Manager Jeremy Spradlin showered the students with the finest of hospitality.
            The sites featured in last week’s tour gave students a first-hand glimpse of the inner workings of the hydroelectric facilities here in Rabun County, as Mr. Spradlin also talked about the birth of the hydroelectric industry.  Emphasis was given to the industry’s local history as it was noted that Rabun County’s specific geography and natural resource offerings created the perfect environment for hydroelectric power generation around the turn of the century.   Equal emphasis was noted regarding how power generated locally supported much of the growth of many southeastern US cities like Atlanta.
            In addition to recognizing Rabun County as the birthplace of both the Georgia Power Company and the Southern Company, participating students also had the chance to get “up close and personal” with the facilities themselves.  The day’s tour included a rare glimpse inside the Mathis Dam that supports Lake Rabun.  Students were able to walk inside the actual dam and see how the 100-year-old structure was carefully crafted with skillful engineering that maintains the structure to this day. 
            And a walking tour inside the Terrora Plant showed how giant turbines, turned by the speed and force of fresh mountain water, easily churn out megawatts of power to support the demands of the grid.  As the day concluded, students walked away with a greater understanding of both the process and the history of the hydroelectric industry, and the pivotal role Rabun County has played in that industry.
            Participating students now look forward to a graduation dinner with parents and Forward Rabun board members in April, as well as one final graduation event later this year.  Both events will give students the opportunity to recap the shared learning of local history, as they discuss the program offerings they feel have benefited them most.  Each student will also be given the opportunity to reflect on possible career paths and choices the program may have inspired.
            Forward Rabun thanks the Georgia Power Company for their hospitality and partnership in sharing local history with our students.  We thank Mr. Jeremy Spradlin for his service as a member of our Board of Directors, and we also thank him for the time and attention given to our Youth Leadership initiative.
            And as this year’s program ends, we thank the parents of our participating students.  We also continue to appreciate the shared partnership this program facilitates between our three local schools and our community.