After receiving a generous grant, Haralson County High School chorus teacher Martie Abney says her dreams about forming a community chorus have finally come to fruition.

Abney was recently awarded $1,000 from the West Georgia Community Foundation, which is the highest portion of money that was given to recipients who last year requested support for community-building initiatives. Abney noted contributions from the Alice Huff-Richards Endowment for the Arts made funding possible to carry out her long-time aspirations to promote unity among residents by way of a community chorus.

The first meeting and rehearsal for the chorus will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, in the Fine Arts building located at Haralson County High School in Tallapoosa. Hoping for a good turnout, Abney says the opportunity is extended to adults throughout the county as well as high school seniors from local school districts.

Though members of the chorus can celebrate the gift of song, she stressed that tough economic times have compelled a greater sense of resourcefulness in the community, which is something that senior students and adults can gain from participating in the chorus.

“I thought if we could include seniors at Haralson County and Bremen City School systems, it would allow the students a chance to get acquainted with adults in the community who will soon be their future employers,” she explained.

Therefore, she encourages everyone to sign up before the chorus’ debut performance, which is scheduled for March. Membership calls for a $15 fee that covers the folders and sheet music for the entire season. Abney shared that a great amount of the grant goes to purchasing the sheet music, which is expensive.

In the meantime, she’s already planning for next year.

“We’re going to have a Christmas concert next year, too. I plan for this chorus to be highly-organized, and it’ll only grow and become even more fun over time,” she said. “I’m really fortunate to receive the grant [... which will] help the West Georgia community.”

Abney encourages senior high school students and adults to enjoy the benefits of the chorus or come and join in at their first meeting. For more information about the community chorus, call 770-574-5157 or 770-574-7647. Interested participants can also call about chorus leadership positions.