Improving Communities:Cherokee

Summary:

Nestled at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cherokee County has the highest mountains and most undeveloped land in metro Atlanta, and is consistently included on the list of Georgia counties with the greatest growth potential. The county is proud to offer space for quality growth while protecting the area’s natural resources. Its natural landscape, proximity to metropolitan Atlanta, and modern governmental structure have all encouraged its rapid growth. 
 
Key Demographics:

  • Population: 204,363
  • Median Household income: $64,226
  • Percent below poverty level: 6.0
  • Cities/towns include, Canton, Holly Springs, Woodstock

 

Regional Data Mapping Project

To learn more about Cherokee County, The Community Foundation along with other partners – the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Families First, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and Kaiser Permanente of Georgia – conducted a formal research project on the area in 2010.  Please select the below links to read more about the Regional Data Mapping Project’s results on the changing demography, community assets, strategic challenges and nonprofit landscape in Cherokee. See coverage in the Cherokee Tribune.


Fact Sheet
Census Tract Comparisons
Nonprofit Survey Results
Focus Group Results  

Grants & Support 

A $12,000 grant from our general, unrestricted fund (Common Good Funds) went to support the work of Center Helping Obesity in Children End Successfully, Inc. (CHOICE) – a grassroots organization working to significantly reduce the presence of childhood obesity in our communities. CHOICES’s multi-faceted program strategy includes physical fitness/training, diet/nutritional education, peer socialization, counseling/couching and community collaboration.  
 
Cherokee FOCUS received a $10,000 grant from the Neighborhood Fund to develop a Cherokee County resource book – a publication that provides contact information for businesses, healthcare entities, educational institutions and civic and community organizations. Neighborhood Fund builds the capacity of residents to become empowered to improve the quality of their communities. Read more about it in the Community Initiatives section. 
 
A $20,000 grant from our Common Good Funds was given to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children in Canton, GA to support the salary of a new volunteer coordinator. CASA for Children is a volunteer organization that empowers everyday citizens as appointed members of the court to speak up for the best interests of children going through the child welfare system. Since its first class in 1993, 418 Cherokee county volunteers have been a part of providing high quality advocacy to over 1,300 children in need in the community. 

Cherokee Contact Information:

50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 446
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-688-5525
info@cfgreateratlanta.org

 
 

Highlights

Building Our Communities through Philanthropy

While many in the region know The Community Foundation for our grantmaking programs, we play a wide variety of roles in creating philanthropic solutions to our communities’ most pressing problems. These roles are as varied as the challenges our Atlanta region faces, but they each start with the premise that communities are built, improved and strengthened by the passion, ideas and resources of its people.
 
Now available, "Building Our Communities Through Philanthropy" highlights our community leadership work and our various roles in the 23-county region. Click here to access. 
Improving Communities

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