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PAGE 6A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JANUARY 22. 2015
Connie Branam talks social services, family, and foster parents
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Connie Branam is the new Pick
ens County DFCS Director.
Why did you get into the social
services field?
I believe family is important. I
wanted to work in a field that en
gages families. Family is impor
tant to the individuals who are
part of that family. Family is im
portant to the community.
How long have you worked
with the Department of Family
and Children Services?
I have worked for DFCS for 7
1/2 years. I began my career as
a Dalton State College Intern at
Walker County DFCS. Later I
moved to Gordon County DFCS
and then I came to Pickens
DFCS, an opportunity I am very
excited about.
What observations have you
made about the Pickens com
munity since you've been here?
I appreciate the warm welcome
that I received when I arrived.
Pickens County is fortunate to
Pickens County DFCS Director Connie Branam has headed up
the local office since October of 2014.
have a large group of committed
people throughout this commu
nity that care about the well
being of Pickens County citizens.
You and your staff see cases of
child abuse and neglect on a
daily basis. On a personal level,
how do you cope with seeing
such terrible situations?
Personally, I rely on prayer to
cope.
What is the hardest part about
your job?
The hardest part is seeing fami
lies struggle in difficult circum
stances. The most rewarding?
When a family is able to over
come tragedy and reunite with
their children, that is the most re
warding part of our job.
What are some misconceptions
people have about DFCS?
People may not know that our vi-
Ball Ground Business and Community Association
Reflecting on the past,
with an eye to the future
Planning for the new year are Ball Ground Business and Community Association officers, (l-r)
Beth Ingram, Susie Erath, Pam Cavender, Christine Opalecky, Renita Orr and Connie John.
By Larry Cavender
Accomplishing much over the
past year, yet planning for an
even more successful year, was
the theme of the first meeting of
2015 held at the Westminster
Chapel on Wednesday, January
14, by the Ball Ground Business
and Community Association.
The first order of business by
President Connie John, after the
Lunch and Learn meeting was
called to order, was to award
plaques to those who opened
their homes during the annual
holiday Tour of Homes last
month, including Judy and Lee
Prettyman, Joan and Mark
Popham, Sharon and Richard
Haithcock, Diane and Mike
Smith, Sylvia Bowles, Lee Lusk
of the Wheeler House and Marc
Maseman of the Watkins House.
Another plaque of appreciation
was given to Martin’s General
Store for their ticket sales. A por
tion of the event’s proceeds, in
the amount of $1,000, was do
nated to the Cherokee Volunteer
Aging Council to use for their
senior citizen's programs.
The group’s public relations
liaison, Pam Cavender, then re
ported on the association’s activ
ities for the previous year. The
group made several charitable
donations during 2014, including
$500 to the Ball Ground Volun
teer Fire Department for the pur
chase of a thermal imaging
camera; $300 to the Ball Ground
Garden Club for downtown
flower baskets; a $1,000 gift to
the City of Ball Ground’s Main
Street Program for the Heritage
Day Festival; plus an unspecified
gift to MUST Ministries and
Bethany Place, all in addition to
the previously mentioned $ 1,000
donation to the aging council.
The Business and Community
Association sponsored several
events over the course of the year
including the annual Heritage
Day Festival, which hosted over
50 vendors and had 22 sponsors.
Other events were the third an
nual wine-tasting, the holiday
tour of homes and, for the first
time ever, the association spon
sored a Christmas gift house.
Also held were several ribbon
cuttings for new businesses in
cluding Preesh Hair Salon and
Boutique, D-Lab Screen and
Printing, Martin’s General Store
and the newly constructed Ball
Ground STEM Academy.
Also during the past year, the
association honored former Ball
Ground Elementary School Prin
cipal, Doug Knot, with a going
away present, a briefcase, “... in
recognition of his great service to
the education of our children.”
Renita Orr gave the treas
urer’s report, stating that the Tour
of Homes generated $1,749 and
the association’s bank balance
now stands at over $10,000. The
Membership Chairperson, Chris
tine Opalecky, reminded mem
bers that membership invoices
would be mailed soon and a
number of ribbon cutting cere
monies were being planned for
the future “...when the weather
warms up.”
The association’s Secretary,
Beth Ingram, reported on up
coming Lunch and Learn meet
ings and sponsors, and Susie
Erath, Events chair, polled mem
bers on ideas for fundraisers, so
cial events and charities for
which contributions could be
made. Erath also reported that a
possible garden tour was in the
planning stages.
The meeting was then turned
over to representatives from the
Region’s Bank branch office
who were sponsors of the day’s
luncheon. Branch Manager and
Assistant Vice President, Sarah
Wright, along with Tony Stancil,
both spoke on the long tradition
the bank has with the city of Ball
Ground. Noting the bank’s roots
go back nearly 90 years to 1926
when the bank first opened as
Citizen’s Bank of Ball Ground,
Stancil stated that opportunities
were never better for the city
than right now.
The meeting ended with a
roundtable introduction of all
members and guests present.
The next meeting of the Ball
Ground Business and Commu
nity Association will be spon
sored by Waffle House and held
on February 11.
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706-629-2651 * 135 Professional Court • Calhoun, GA
sion as an agency is, "Stronger
Families for a Stronger Geor
gia." We as an agency strive to
strengthen families. We do this
by providing access to services
that promote self-sufficiency, in
dependence, and protecting
Georgia's most vulnerable chil
dren and adults.
Are there any services DFCS
provides that you feel are un
derutilized by the public?
Why?
I think people may not know
how to access various services
such as Foods Stamps or Medi
caid. We are working hard to be
more accessible to the commu
nity. The following are many
ways services can be accessed:
Apply For Food Stamps and
Medicaid online at www. com
pass. ga.gov or call 1-877-423-
4746. For those individuals who
are hearing impaired call GA
Relay at 1-800-255-0135. To be
come a foster parent. Call 1-877-
210-KIDS (5437). Report child
abuse or neglect 24 hours a day,
7 days a week by calling 1-855-
GACHILD or 1-855-422-4453.
What does DFCS and people
who work there struggle with
the most?
DFCS struggles with working
long hours to meet the needs of
others. I see case managers who
work very late nights and week
ends to take care of a family.
Who are your heroes?
Case managers and foster par
ents are my heros. I see them
partner together to take care of
children day and night. As foster
parents and case managers work
together, they are able to move
mountains and make some pretty
amazing things happen to meet
the needs of children and fami
lies. Both of these groups of
people are passionate about fam
ilies. I feel very blessed to have
the opportunity to work with
them.
Grant opportunity available
for local organizations
The Pickens County Com
munity Resource Association,
Inc. (PCCRA), originator and
operator of the Community
Thrift Store, announces intent
to make grants.
As provided by the PCCRA
by-laws, the association is re
sponsible for determining a
method to find worthy causes
that meet the criteria of its Mis
sion Statement; “Our mission
is to serve the members of our
community who find them
selves in need of essential
goods and basic human and
life-enhancing services.”
Note: Once again for this
quarter, the maximum allowed
per grant will be $5,000. No
grant will exceed $5,000. The
PCCRA Board has final au
thority on all grants.
Grant applications may be
obtained at the Community
Thrift Store between 10 a.m.
and 4 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday. They may also be ob
tained by mail by calling the
Store at 706-253-7770 during
the same hours and are avail
able on our website:
www.pickens communitythrift-
store.org.
NOTE: The grant application
form labeled “Eff. 1/2015” at
the bottom is required. Appli
cations on any other form will
be rejected. Applications must
be typed.
Completed grant applica
tions must be mailed to
PCCRA, ATTN: Grant Com
mittee, 110 Samaritan Drive,
Jasper, Ga. 30143. They must
be postmarked by February 16.
Hand-carried applications and
those not fully completed or
not signed will not be accepted.
The grant decisions will be an
nounced within 60 days of the
application dateline.
A Capital Award program is
also available for 501(c)(3),
non-profit organizations. The
same qualifications for helping
area residents and meeting
PCCRA Mission Statement
apply. Grant applications will
be on the same grant form and
must be clearly marked “Capi
tal Award” on the top of the
first page of the grant applica
tion. The grant application
may be obtained as above and
the envelope containing the
grant application must be re
ceived by mail and marked
ATTN: Capital Award.
This capital award program
includes funding for such
needs as Start-ups, Innovative
Ideas, Building Funds and
Capital Investment. These
grant requests may be submit
ted at any time, and approved
grants may be funded as money
is available. PCCRA will in
vestigate these grant requests
and make all determinations.
Matching funds may be re
quired.
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