{"id":1440,"date":"2018-02-06T18:32:35","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T18:32:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=1440"},"modified":"2018-02-06T18:51:39","modified_gmt":"2018-02-06T18:51:39","slug":"good-grades-pay-off-fort-gordon-military-kid-wins-exchanges-2000-prize-for-academic-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/02\/06\/good-grades-pay-off-fort-gordon-military-kid-wins-exchanges-2000-prize-for-academic-excellence\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Grades Pay Off: Fort Gordon Military Kid Wins Exchange\u2019s $2,000 Prize for Academic Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT GORDON \u2013 <\/strong>For 9-year-old Bethany Marana<\/a> and her family, the fourth time is certainly the charm.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bethany, a fourth-grader at Evans Elementary School in Evans, Ga., took home the grand prize in the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s You Made the Grade sweepstakes during a presentation at the Fort Gordon Exchange on Feb. 2. Her three brothers, ages 31, 25 and 18, entered the sweepstakes when they were young. But the family never won the grand prize\u2014a $2,000 Exchange gift card\u2014until now.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer father told me, \u2018Fourth time is the charm,\u2019 \u201d said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, Exchange senior enlisted advisor, when presenting Bethany her gift card, giving her a high five<\/a>. \u201cShe is just 9 years old, but she has learned that perseverance and hard work pay off. The Exchange is proud of her!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethany\u2019s father, David, retired from the Army in 2006 when he was assigned to Fort Gordon. Since then, Marana has worked as a civilian on the installation, now serving a registered nurse.<\/p>\n

He is proud of Bethany\u2019s academic achievements, including maintaining an A average. Marana credits his wife, Marjorie, for keeping Bethany on track.<\/p>\n

\u201cNowadays, in our society and our culture, parents are not engaged,\u201d he said. \u201cMy wife is. (Bethany\u2019s) winning this involves both of their efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethany, who enjoys playing the piano and video games and wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up, has ambitious plans for her winnings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to save it for college,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Through the Exchange\u2019s You Made the Grade program, first- through 12th-graders with a B average or higher are eligible to enter the sweepstakes for a chance at a $2,000, $1,500 or $500 Exchange gift card. Bethany was randomly selected as the grand-prize winner. Aaron Perez, a seventh-grader at Kaiserslautern Middle School, received the $1,000 prize during a presentation at KMCC Exchange. The $500 gift card went to Bryce Watts, a fifth-grader at Yokota Air Base.<\/p>\n

Students and guardians can contact their local Exchange for more information about the program.<\/p>\n

Facebook-Friendly Version: <\/strong>Fourth-grader from Fort Gordon wins $2,000 Exchange prize for academic excellence. Read more about Bethany:\u00a0http:\/\/bit.ly\/2EmSZ8z<\/a><\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 56th-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.4 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Julie Mitchell, 214-312-3327 or mitchelljul@aafes.com.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FORT GORDON \u2013 For 9-year-old Bethany Marana and her family, the fourth time is certainly the charm. Bethany, a fourth-grader at Evans Elementary School in Evans, Ga., took home the grand prize in the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s You Made the Grade sweepstakes during a presentation at the Fort Gordon Exchange on Feb. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":1443,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","category-uncategorized"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/02\/06\/good-grades-pay-off-fort-gordon-military-kid-wins-exchanges-2000-prize-for-academic-excellence\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Good Grades Pay Off: Fort Gordon Military Kid Wins Exchange\u2019s $2,000 Prize for Academic Excellence","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/02\/06\/good-grades-pay-off-fort-gordon-military-kid-wins-exchanges-2000-prize-for-academic-excellence\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/02\/06\/good-grades-pay-off-fort-gordon-military-kid-wins-exchanges-2000-prize-for-academic-excellence\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/Bethany-Marana-1-e1517941842719.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/Bethany-Marana-1-e1517941842719.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julie Mitchell"}],"creator":["Julie Mitchell"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2018-02-06T18:32:35Z","datePublished":"2018-02-06T18:32:35Z","dateModified":"2018-02-06T18:51:39Z"},"rendered":"