Georgia Power expands partnership with statewide nonprofit to make state parks more accessible and enjoyable

ATLANTA– Georgia Power, the state’s leading electric utility serving customers in all but four Georgia counties, announced that it is continuing its longstanding partnership with Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites (Friends) – a nonprofit organization with a mission to serve, support, and celebrate Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites.

This Saturday, Sept. 26, hundreds of Georgia Power volunteers are expected to deploy for Your State Parks Day, an annual event hosted by Friends to clean up, beautify and care for Georgia’s state parks in celebration of National Public Lands Day. Fellow Georgians are also invited to join the volunteer event or support the program in other ways by donating to Friends or simply sharing their favorite state parks memory. All of the information, including event and registration details by local state park, is available on the Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites website.

Georgia Power is also donating $10,000 to help kickstart a new fundraising effort by Friends to place freeEnChroma color accessibility glasses in all Georgia State Parks for visitor use. For many people with red-green color vision deficiency, the vibrant colors of fall foliage, spring wildflowers, and Georgia’s scenic landscapes may appear less distinct. EnChroma glasses use specialized optical filters designed to enhance color contrast, helping many people distinguish certain colors more easily.  

Georgia Power’s donation follows a $25,000 donation at the end of 2025 to Friends to develop the program, and previous work with the Aimee Copeland Foundation to place all-terrain Trackchairs in Georgia State Parks for visitor use.

“Georgia’s state parks are a tremendous natural resource and asset for our state, driving travel and tourism for local communities and hosting millions of visitors each year,” said Trey Kilpatrick, senior vice president of External Affairs. “At Georgia Power, we’re committed to making our communities better because we are here. We’re excited to help more visitors enjoy a full experience through the Georgia in Color initiative, and to continue to partner with Friends of Georgia State Parks to protect and care for these special places so they can be enjoyed by Georgians and visitors from around the world for generations to come.”

“Georgia in Color is about helping more visitors fully experience the natural beauty of Georgia’s state parks,” said Damon Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites. “Georgia Power’s generous investment in this initiative, together with the hands-on service of its volunteers, demonstrates a meaningful commitment to making these treasured places more accessible, welcoming, and enjoyable for everyone.”

Friends is a nonprofit organization with a mission to serve, support, and celebrate Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites. Statewide, Friends works to raise awareness of the economic and intrinsic values of Georgia’s greatest treasures. The organization works with state and community leaders to help make sure that Georgia’s natural and cultural resources are well protected, well maintained and well preserved for generations to come. At the local level, more than 50 chapters work with their respective sites to support individual projects and programs, with thousands of hours of volunteer time donated each year.

To learn more about Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, and the organization’s Your State Parks Day program, visit: https://friendsofgastateparks.org/.

Credit: Autumn at Fort Mountain State Park/ Friends of of Georgia State Park