Community Bankers Association of Georgia and the Walraven family announce the annual J. Steven Walraven Memorial Scholarship designed for a full or part-time Georgia community bank employee planning to attend a college or university within the state of Georgia. This $500 scholarship is awarded to a Georgia community bank employee attending a college or university within the state of Georgia. The goal of the scholarship is to assist those employees interested in furthering their education to enhance their career in community banking.
The scholarship is named for the late J. Steven Walraven, a former community bank president who dedicated much of his life to his community and community banking. His wife Rebecca and their sons have developed the scholarship in his memory. Steve was a graduate of Reinhardt College and University of Wisconsin School of Banking. He began his banking career at the First National Bank of Atlanta. He worked for Gordon County Bank and Bartow County Bank and became president of Peoples Bank in 1981. In 1988, he helped form First Community Bank & Trust, serving as president. In 1999, he was named president of United Bank & Trust in Rockmart. Steve was a member of the Board of Directors of Community Bankers Association of Georgia and served as Treasurer.