ATLANTA — Two metro Atlanta University of Georgia grads came up with a great way to pay their way through college, which is now paying the way for others.
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Jack Faught and his best buddy, Calder Johnson, came up with a bright idea to work their way through college: Christmas trees.
“Our parents thought we were pretty crazy,” Johnson said.
“What do they say now?” asked Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen.
“They think we made the right choice,” Johnson laughed.
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A choice that paid their way through UGA, and helps dozens of high school grads from Atlanta do likewise.
Channel 2 Action News first introduced you to these men during the holiday season of 2023, on their lot full of Frasier firs in Virginia Highlands.
“The first three or four years was just a side hustle. We never thought it would turn into what it is today,” Johnson said.
This is year 10, and the mission known as Trees for Tuition just had another record-breaking season.
“How worn out are you?” Petersen asked Faught.
“Oh, were pretty tired,” Faught exclaimed.
However, it’s the good kind of tired because their business is changing lives.
One hundred percent of the profits go to college scholarships, donations to Atlanta Public Schools, funding for local nonprofits, and planting new Christmas trees.
A total of more than $165,000 and counting.
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That first year back in the 2010s, they sold 30 trees, and this season, more than 4,000.
“Man, if you told us back then that in a couple of years we’d be selling thousands of Christmas trees and had a scholarship fund, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Faught said.
To learn more about the Trees for Tuition scholarships, click here.