Cherokee Chamber Seeks Nominees for First Citizen of Cherokee County and Applicants for Teen Leadership The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominees for the prestigious First Citizen of Cherokee County Award until 5:00pm on December 11, 2023. The distinct title of First Citizen of Cherokee County is bestowed upon a man or woman who has resided in the county for a minimum of five years and has shown significant meritorious service to his or her community through family, civic, and/or religious involvement. A panel of out-of-town judges carefully reviews the accomplishments of each applicant, and the winner is chosen based on merit. The Chamber is also accepting applications for the Teen Leadership Cherokee Class of 2024 through December 10, 2023. Students must be in 10th grade to apply. The mission of Teen Leadership Cherokee is for participants to L.E.A.D. (lead, engage, aspire, and drive), so that they may confidently become our community's next generation of leaders. Participants will develop a sense of community while discovering the impact of teamwork on their peers, their schools, and Cherokee County.The young men and women selected to participate in Teen Leadership Cherokee must attend school and/or live in Cherokee County, demonstrate outstanding qualities as existing or potential leaders, and possess the desire to effect change in the community. Participants’ academic achievements and responsibilities – working after school, active participation in school functions, or membership in other organizations – will be reviewed during the selection process. The class is limited to 20 participants.Applications for these awards can be found at CherokeeChamber.com. For additional information, please call 770-345-0400.
Cherokee County E 9-1-1 Launches Logan's Law Database Cherokee County E 9-1-1, in partnership with the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority (GECA), has launched a Logan’s Law database on its website. The database gives E 9-1-1 dispatchers information to share with law enforcement and public safety personnel regarding any individuals in the home who have special needs.Adding information to Cherokee’s Logan’s Law database will give residents the ability to note any special medical conditions at a particular address. The form is available at CherokeeGa-911.org/logan.
CASA of Cherokee County Celebrates 30 Years of Child Advocacy This year marks 30 years of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a program of The Children’s Haven, serving children experiencing foster care in Cherokee County. CASA volunteers provide child advocacy and are the voice for children, advocating for their best interests. To celebrate and commemorate this special milestone, a luncheon was held to honor CASA volunteers, past and present. The event was also attended by elected officials, Cherokee County judges, county and state community partners, as well as generous sponsors.At the event, Judge Jennifer Davis shared family and child well-being statistics from Cherokee County as well as the state of Georgia, indicating that Cherokee County is the third highest in the state for the number of children in foster care (on October 20, there were 429 Cherokee County children in foster care). These statistics are a reminder of the significant need for CASA volunteers. A CASA volunteer is a deeply committed, specially trained individual from the community who is appointed by the juvenile court judge to improve a child’s experience in foster care by providing individualized attention, bringing urgency to children’s needs throughout their time in state custody, and offering consistency and continuity by helping to connect information among case managers, foster parents, attorneys, and many other stakeholders.To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the CASA program aims to raise $30,000 to fund the training of additional volunteers. To give, volunteer, or learn more, please visit CherokeeChildrensHaven.org.
Cherokee County School District Announcements Fifteen Seniors Named National Merit Commended Students The 15 CCSD high school seniors are among the only 2-3% of the Class of 2023 honored nationwide with the recognition, which is based on the high scores the students earned on the PSAT. Although Commended students do not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, they may earn special National Merit Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses that will be awarded in the spring.The honorees are Thaddeus Brake, Sarah Pfanstiel, Hayden Roberson, Sydney Watson, and Renzo Zapata from Cherokee HS; Camdyn Gates, Brayden Huguenard, and Cameron Thrower from Creekview HS; Hailey Weiner from Etowah HS; Aiden Allison, Caleb Lewis, and Adrianna Musser from River Ridge HS; William P. Murphy and Sunny Nguyen from Sequoyah HS; and Bryce Jones from Woodstock HS.CCSD Special Education Director Earns State AwardCharlette Green, who has led CCSD’s Special Education department since 2009, was awarded the 2023 Phil Pickens Administrator Award by the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership. The award is presented to one special education administrator statewide each year to recognize “outstanding leadership in the collaborative work between school, home, and community to improve the outcome for students with disabilities.” Examples of the most recent new initiatives under her leadership include developing a CCSD Special Education Parent University program, establishing an employability fair with the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, collaborating with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency to bolster summer job training programs, and creating a parent feedback system.Etowah HS Student Named to State School Superintendent’s 2023-24 Student Advisory CouncilSenior Cristina Garcia is among the 69 high school students from across the state selected for this prestigious role. State School Superintendent Richard Woods chose his student advisors based on their applications and answers to essay questions about improving public education. The group will meet with Superintendent Woods throughout the school year to talk about how state policies affect their schools.Garcia is an outstanding student, school and community leader, and volunteer. A Governor Honor's Program alumna for chemistry, she has earned the UGA Certificate of Merit and SOAR Award, is an AP Scholar with Distinction, and a Superintendent’s Key Scholar. She has served as president of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (National Spanish Honor Society) for the past two years and is a member of the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta (National Math Honor Society).River Ridge HS Student Participates in Select Aviation ProgramJunior Eva Yokley was selected for the Women In Aviation “Women Inspiring our Next Generation” (WING) program, sponsored by Delta Air Lines. Only 130 young women from metro Atlanta were chosen for the special program.The group participated in a one-day flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport directly to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL. It was only the second time for a commercial aircraft to land at the space center. The flight was fully staffed by an all-female crew, and the space center tour included a panel presentation by women in the aerospace and aviation industries. Teacher Named Georgia Art Educator of the YearHasty ES Fine Arts Academy teacher Dr. Lisa Spence won the statewide title in recognition of her efforts at the school, community, and state levels. The statewide association presents the overall award to one Georgia teacher a year in each division: elementary, middle, and high schools.Dr. Spence, who joined CCSD in 2019, last year earned the Crayola Creativity Ambassador international art education honor, presented by the National Art Education Association and Crayola Education. Only 75 teachers worldwide were selected for the recognition. A member of the state and National Art Education Association, she has also earned numerous grants, including recent awards from Amicalola EMC Bright Ideas, Cherokee County Educational Foundation’s Impact Grants, and The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi’s Love of Learning Awards to enhance Hasty’s art program.
Rotary Club of Canton Honors Public Safety Heroes The Rotary Club of Canton recently honored community heroes at its Sixth Annual Public Safety Appreciation Luncheon. State Senate Public Safety Committee Chairman Sen. John Albers, who represents portions of Cherokee and Fulton counties and is a businessman and fourth-generation firefighter, served as keynote speaker.The event included the presentation of Employee of the Year Awards to at least one representative from each community agency. The honorees are Ball Ground Police Department Officer Erik Witherington, Canton Police Department Officer Courtney Rogers and Sgt. Jesse Hamilton, Cherokee County District Attorney's Office Senior Investigator Brandon Owens, Cherokee County E-911 Communication Officer Genesis Beltran, Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services Division Chief Chad Davis, Cherokee County Marshal's Office Capt. Dwayne Casteel, Cherokee County School District School Police Department Officer Samira Rezagholizadeh, Cherokee County Solicitor General's Office Investigator Drew Alexander, Cherokee Sheriff's Office Deputy Renato Guido, Holly Springs Police Department Terminal Agency Coordinator and Crime Analyst Erin Mason, Woodstock Fire Department Firefighters Jessie Brookshire and Gregory “Zeb” McAllister and Woodstock Police Department Officer Josh Buckner. Additionally, three leaders were honored with awards as part of the event:• The Canton Rotary Community Leadership Award for “Service Above Self” was presented to Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds. • The Canton Rotary Public Safety Service Award was presented to Cherokee County Chief Marshal Jamie Gianfala. • The Colonel George Bailey Distinguished Leadership Award, named for the late Rotarian and community leader, was presented to Cherokee County Fire Chief Eddie Robinson.
Adopt-A-Senior This Holiday Season Cherokee County Senior Services is asking for donations for its annual Adopt-A-Senior program.“We routinely receive phone calls from seniors requesting financial assistance with everything from utilities to groceries,” said Cherokee County Senior Services Resource Coordinator De Gale. “Since most of these folks live on a tight budget, we reach out to the community each year to ask for assistance in gathering their requested Christmas gifts.”Requested items include flashlights with batteries; $30 gift cards to local grocery stores; reacher/grabber tools; stamps; small boxes of chocolate; and nonperishable items such as toiletries, lip balm, tissues, and lotion. Senior Services will accept donations through December 1. Gifts can be dropped off at the Cherokee County Senior Center (1001 Univeter Road, Canton). Drop-off times are Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:00pm, and on two Saturdays — November 18 and December 2 — 10:00am-12:00pm. All items should be new, unwrapped, and placed in a holiday gift bag. The program, which has been in effect for more than 20 years, serves an average of 250 seniors. For additional information, contact Cherokee County Senior Services at 770-345-3025.
Chief Investigator Retires, New Chief and Assistant Chief Appointed After 36 years of service to the citizens of Cherokee County and the State of Georgia, Chief Investigator Dwight Kelley retired at the end of September. A lifelong resident of Ball Ground, Kelley served in uniform patrol and special operations for the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office before accepting a position in 1990 as an investigator in the District Attorney’s Office. In 1997, Kelley was appointed chief investigator, a position he held for 26 years. During that time, Kelley assisted with the prosecution of countless criminal cases, in addition to supervising a growing staff that now includes 20 professionals with extensive law enforcement experience. Effective October 2, 2023, Brandon Owens took over the role of chief investigator, and William Hegwood took on the role of assistant chief investigator. Chief Investigator Owens is a Cherokee County native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran with 26 years of law enforcement experience and extensive training, including completion of the Columbus State Professional Management Program and the Georgia Chiefs of Police Executive Development Program. Assistant Chief Investigator Hegwood possesses 33 years of law enforcement experience and 3,800 hours of specialized training, including completion of the FBI National Academy Class 261 and the Georgia Chiefs of Police Executive Development Program.
Cherokee County Educational Foundation’s 2023 Fall Classics Fundraiser Success The BridgeMill Athletic Club was buzzing with athletes ready to raise money for a good cause at last month’s Fall Classics fundraiser, which is held annually on Columbus Day and features a Golf Scramble (presented by Northside Hospital Cherokee) and a Tennis and Pickleball Round-Robin style rotation of match play (presented by Credit Union of Georgia). More than $70,000 was raised for the Cherokee County School District (CCSD). The Foundation will use the funds to support Classroom Impact Grants and Rapid Grants for teachers and classrooms.The golf tournament had 100 players, several contests, and a 50/50 cash raffle that was won by Todd Baker of The Holler in Canton. Jenny Spain, retired CCSD teacher and CCEF board member, helped facilitate the tennis and pickleball events, ensuring that all registered guests got several hours of court time and experienced competitive play.
Cherokee Planning Department Earns Statewide Awards The Georgia Chapter of the American Planning Association recognized Cherokee County and its cities with prestigious awards for efforts in cooperative planning. Over the last few years, Cherokee County has worked with each city’s leadership to resurrect and update long-expired growth boundary agreements. While a growth boundary agreement is not legally binding, it provides guidance for cities and the county on where the cities will grow as well as coordination on character areas and other planning efforts.The GPA bestowed Cherokee County and its cities with the Distinguished Leadership and Service Contribution Award for Innovation in Planning. The award is given in recognition of a specific planning tool, practice, program, project, or process that is a significant advancement to specific elements of planning. The category emphasizes results and demonstrates how innovative and state-of-the-art planning methods and practices helped implement a plan.The City of Waleska also was recognized with the GPA’s Outstanding Planning Document for Small Communities for its Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The Small Communities designation is reserved for cities with fewer than 1,000 or counties with fewer than 10,000 residents. Cherokee County provides the City of Waleska with its planning documents and all development requests, requiring the planning and zoning process to go through the Cherokee County Municipal Planning Commission.
2023 Leadership Cherokee Graduation Leadership Cherokee, a program of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, graduated its 34th Anniversary Class, which brings the total alumni count to more than 700 graduates. Members of the Leadership Cherokee Class of 2023 selected two of their peers to receive special annual recognitions. Mark Smith with the Cherokee County School District received the Cristal Stancil Leadership Award. The Bob Frongillo “Magic Spark Plug” Award was presented to Jenna Geary with the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce. Outgoing 2023 Leadership Cherokee Chair Dana Callan with Synovus was commended by incoming Chair Jeffrey Pourchier for her dedication to the leadership program.Over the course of a nine-month period, Leadership Cherokee exposes the group of existing and emerging leaders to our diverse county as well as a broad range of topics such as economic development, infrastructure, government, justice, arts, education, recreation, tourism, public safety, healthcare, and social/human services.