Background

W.L. (“Mr. Bill”) Amos, Sr., first ventured into business with his younger brother, John (“Bev”) Amos, when they became newspaper editors and publishers of the Jay Tribune Newspaper in Jay, Florida, in 1939. Mr. Bill was only a teenager, but he knew how to work hard and that made up for his inexperience. He and brothers, Bev and Paul, learned how to work from their dad, John Shelby Amos, who had been the Postmaster in Enterprise, Alabama. Mr. Bill also learned from his dad how to love his family. After the Amos family moved to the Florida panhandle in the 1930’s, Mr. Bill met a beautiful young lady, Olivia Diamond, and three weeks later they married! They remained married for over 50 years. Together Bill and Olivia Amos raised their two children, Bill, Jr., and Bettye, and passed down to their children and grandchildren the gifts of hard work and love of family.

After the newspaper business, Mr. Bill became the owner and operator of a Ben Franklin “Five & Ten Cent” Store in Milton, Florida, and was enjoying life in the small town when his brother Bev suggested they start an insurance company. Together they mapped out a strategy and decided to move to the biggest city in the south that was not the home office of an insurance company. That city was Columbus, Georgia. Their younger brother Paul also joined them. Bill, Bev and Paul Amos moved their families to Columbus, Georgia, to start the insurance business and literally went door to door selling stock to anyone who would invest in their new insurance company. Their wives, Olivia, Elena and Jean fully supported the new business any way they could. Their children enrolled in Columbus schools and the families became part of the fabric of Columbus. There were many highlights along the way and many difficult points as well. But eventually, through perseverance and ingenuity, the Amos brothers forged an insurance company across all 50 states and into Japan with the help of many, many hard working and loyal employees and investors.

Mr. J. S. Amos joined his sons in Columbus when they started American Family Life Assurance Company in 1955 (now Aflac Incorporated). When his sons started the new insurance company in Columbus, he wrote this prayer: “That God will be with us in business and guide us so that we may be worthy of the trust placed in us by our stockholders.” The financial success experienced by Aflac, its employees and shareholders testify to how God has answered Mr. J. S. Amos’ prayer.

Mr. Bill retired from Aflac in 1978 as President of American Family Corporation, the parent company of Aflac, and enjoyed retirement until passing away in 1997. He believed the employees of Aflac were its greatest asset. Mr. Bill’s daughter and son-in-law, Bettye and Cecil Cheves, along with their 3 daughters, Avery Cheves Wolff, Olivia Cheves Blanchard and Isa Cheves Meeks, decided to honor his memory by granting scholarships to the children and grandchildren of Aflac employees. Bettye and Cecil have learned from their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior that it is more blessed to give than to receive. To honor the memory of Mr. W. L. Amos, Sr., and to show their love and respect for her father and his father-in-law, Bettye and Cecil Cheves have established the W. L. Amos, Sr., Scholarship for the children and grandchildren of Aflac employees.

Overview

The W.L. Amos, Sr., Scholarship:

• Is intended to help students who have a parent, grandparent or legal guardian that is a current Aflac U.S. employee, and who have demonstrated a hard work ethic during high school, achieve a postsecondary education.
• Will be paid annually to the accredited technical school, college or university of the recipient’s choice.
• Can be used to cover the cost of tuition, fees, housing and books.
  • Note: For most students, a scholarship grant used for tuition, fees, books, supplies and essential equipment is usually not taxable. Scholarship funds used for room and board, stipends and other purposes may be taxable. Scholarship recipients should consult a tax professional with questions about the tax implications of their scholarship grant.
• Will pay $2,500 per year for four consecutive years as long as the recipient continues to meet the following scholarship program criteria:
  • Continuous full-time enrollment (typically 12 or more credit hours) during each fall and spring semester the student receives the scholarship.
  • Maintenance of at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
  • The continued employment of the recipient’s parent, grandparent or legal guardian at Aflac U.S.
• Is renewable for a fifth year of undergraduate study (up to two additional regular term semesters) based on the following criteria:
  • Continuous full-time enrollment (typically 12 or more credit hours) during each fall and spring semester the student receives the scholarship.
  • Maintenance of at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
  • The continued employment of the recipient’s parent, grandparent or legal guardian at Aflac U.S.
  • Recipient is in good academic standing with the college/university.
  • Recipient has a minimum of 120 earned credit hours.
  • Recipient has fewer than 30 credit hours remaining in their course of study in order to graduate as evidenced by a letter from their academic advisor, dean or an equivalent.

Ten entering first year undergraduates will be selected as Amos Scholars in 2024. Ideally, the successful applicants will demonstrate the same hard work ethic as did Mr. Bill Amos.

Eligibility and Award Criteria

Applicants of the W.L. Amos, Sr., Scholarship must:

• Have a parent, grandparent or legal guardian that is a current Aflac U.S. employee and has been for at least six months as of Jan. 1, 2023.
• Plan to enter college as a first year undergraduate in the fall of 2024.
• Be a U.S. citizen at the time of their application.
• Not be an immediate family member of any employee or board member of the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, Inc.
• Not be direct descendants of Mr. Bill Amos.
• Complete the application in full prior to the application deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Complete a personal interview, if requested, with the W.L. Amos, Sr., Scholarship Committee if selected as a finalist.

The following criteria will be considered when selecting scholarship recipients:

• The degree to which the applicant demonstrates a hard work ethic during high school.
• The degree to which the scholarship will help the applicant achieve their education and career goals.
• Scholastic record – applicant should be academically qualified to be accepted to and be successful at an institution of higher learning.

Timeline

*NOTE: CFCV is aware of delays associated with the revised FAFSA form and as such, reserves the right to adjust the timeline below. Application deadlines will be updated on the scholarship application portal (link below).

• Completed Application Due: Friday, March 15, 2024, 5 p.m. EST
• Notification of Finalist Status: May 2024