Georgia
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Southwest Georgia United Empowerment Zone
Rural Development Staff conducts EZ training
Training on how to apply for Rural Development programs was conducted on December 3, 2003. Training was held at Cordele Lions Club. Approximate 50 participants took advantage of this opportunity.
Presentations were conducted on housing issues (Joe Walden), CF (Jack Stanek), Environmental Issues (Bill Peery), BP (Margaret Duck) and Value-Added Agriculture and Renewable Energy (Craig Scroggs)
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Annual Meeting
The annual meeting was held on March 20, 2000. Approximately 50 people were in attendance.
EZ Director, Robert Cooke, is shown visiting with local resident Rosie Watkins after the meeting concluded.
Town and Country Learning Center
This learning center provides much needed child care in Vienna, Georgia. The Enterprise Community Grant Fund provided $100,000 towards this facility and expanded its capacity for low income households.
The Gateway Center
The Gateway Center is a child advocacy and Family Resource Center that received $76,250 of Enterprise Community Grant Funds. The Center provides a broad spectrum of services, including rape crisis support, family visitation space for children in foster care, job readiness seminars, parenting classes, distribution of baby products to families in need, distribution of household items to families experiencing loss through fire or family violence, and distribution of food to the elderly.
The Gateway Center
Lilly School House
The Lilly School house, built in 1912, is a two story, wooden structure that had been abandoned since the 1950's. The Lilly Women's Club made the schoolhouse restoration a top priority and will turn it into a local cultural center. In addition to an $11,500 Enterprise Community Grant and funding from Georgia Heritage 2000, support came from a thrift shop set up in Lilly by the Women's Club specifically to raise funds for the restoration project. The Women's Club has consistently raised $300-$500 every month for the Lilly School.
The Dooly County Arts Council plans to facilitate activities for the general public with special emphasis on educational programs. Plans for future activities include exhibitions, artist-in-residence programs, live theatrical and musical performances, and presentations by local artists.
Crisp/Dooly Tourism "Wally Melon"
Strategic benchmark 3.1 provides for the development of a strategy for new tourist and quality of life attractions. Enterprise Community funding of $15,750 helped create "Wally Melon". This character is the trademark for Cordele and Crisp County tourism related activities. He can be seen on billboards located on Interstate 75 North and South of Cordele.
LEARNet
LEARNet is a non-profit corporation that received $378,000 in Enterprise Community Grant FUnds. Benchmark 7.1 called for the increase in the literacy of the adult residents of the EC. To implement this benchmark, a computer lab was placed in the Housing Projects of Cordele. This literacy lab is equipped with computers and software enabling citizens of the EC to do many tasks including learning to read, preparing and obtaining a G.E.D., and taking classes for college credits. Other areas of LEARNet include after school programs and drop-out prevention.
Dooly County Recreation Center
There wasn't a Recreation Department in Dooly County until $134,179 of Enterprise Community Grant Funds provided for two multi-purpose, lighted, athletic fields and an indoor, multi-purpose facility. Also included in the funding was a vehicle and two part-time employees. This initiative has developed a planned recreation program available to the citizens of Dooly County.
Byromville Primary Care
A part of the Strategic Plan includes the extension of health care into underserved areas of Dooly County. Byromville Primary Care received $90,000 in Enterprise Community funding and opened in January, 1998. Since then, over 1,700 previously underserved residents have been assisted. In addition to providing health care, they have had a Hispanic Health Fair and provided athletic physicals free of charge.
Last Updated : April 27, 2004