Coy Bowles Receives Children's Impact Award from Georgia Charter Schools Association

Online, October 26, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The Georgia Charter Schools Association Conference, sponsored in part by Spectrum Building Systems Inc., was held in Atlanta, Georgia this past week. Nine people were recognized for the positive contributions they've made to children and education.

One highlight of the awards' ceremony was the personal appearance by Coy Bowles, member of the two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Zac Brown Band (ZBB). Coy was the recipient of the Children's Impact Award.

Bowles is known not only for his musicianship, but for his interest in children and education. He spent seven years of his career teaching music to children. His charitable foundation, Coy Cares, was founded with the help of two of Coy's former teachers, with a goal of instilling in youth the belief that with hard work dreams are possible. Coy most recently wrote an anti-bullying book, Amy Giggles - Laugh Out Loud. It is a story of self-conï¬dence and reassurance, and realizing that our differences make us beautiful and unique. A portion of all proceeds go to help build Camp Southern Ground, a state-of-the-art facility set to open in spring 2015. The camp will have activities that will challenge, educate, and inspire children with diverse abilities and from all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, and religions. The book also gives Coy the platform to serve as a motivational speaker in schools to encourage kids to work hard to nurture their talents and invest in their future through education and ï¬nancial responsibility.

When asked about this honor, Coy stated, "Out of all the awards I have ever been honored with, the Children's Impact Award is the one I am most proud to receive."

During his acceptance, Coy expressed gratitude to his parents for raising him with much love and giving him the confidence to be different and follow his heart. He also shared the story of how he came up with the idea for his book, Amy Giggles - Laugh Out Loud. After the presentation, he autographed copies of his book for the crowd.