Archive: Jul 2021

New Johnsonville 2021 Student Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to our New Johnsonville Scholarship recipients Cheyenne Branch & Hannah Hewlett! Each year our New Johnsonville paper mill sponsors a scholarship program for employee’s children. Each employee submits an application for their graduating senior and then the student submits an essay This year the topic of the essay was “How the paper manufacturing business has personally impacted your life.” Jimmy Gibson, Mill Manager, was pleased to present these special young women with an investment in their future. For 2021 Cheyenne took first place and received $2,000 and Hannah placed second and received $1,000.

Shown Left to Right: Richard & Cheyenne Branch, Hannah & Chad Hewlett

Read Cheyenne’s first-place essay:

My name is Cheyenne Branch, I am the daughter of Richard Branch. I attend Waverly Central High School as a graduating senior in the class of 2021.

The Paper Manufacturing business has personally impacted my life in many ways.

One way is, due to my father’s employment at Hood Container, I am able to see and spend time with him. In the past he worked more than he was home, now he is home every night and weekend. He now comes to my inductions and will be able to attend my graduation. He even has more time to build things and teach me how to be an adult.

Another way the Paper Manufacturing business has personally impacted my life is the things my family members are now able to do. Only a few years after my father started working at Hood Container, we had our very first family vacation! We got to spend two whole weeks together, driving across the United States, we were able to live comfortably. We have added two rooms and a bathroom on to our house due to my father’s employment in the Paper Manufacturing business.

A third part of my life that has been impacted by the Paper Manufacturing business, is without it, we wouldn’t have boxes to ship things, paper towels to dry our hands, boxes for take-out food, we wouldn’t have textbooks to learn, or paper to show our knowledge we have learned. We wouldn’t have stock paper for our diplomas, which is something we may need later in life, depending on your life decisions.

There are many ways the Paper Manufacturing business has personally impacted my life. While all the reasons above may be valuable, the most important way my life has been impacted is, the quality time I have with my father now. He is treated well at Hood Container, he works day shift and has weekends off. This makes for so many more memories, so many days watching movies, so many little projects being done, and most importantly, finally having my dad around again. He has always worked so hard and only came home to sleep, but now he spends more time than ever with us, and I am ever so grateful for that.

The Paper Manufacturing business is one of the most successful businesses in this world. I am very thankful to be a part of that through my father. My life has been positively impacted in every aspect throughout this 9 years of my father’s employment. Thank you Hood Container!