SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Life in rural Georgia may limit your access to certain resources. However, in one particular county, hard work and collaboration are making a change.
Regina Butts, Family Connections-Communities in Schools executive director, says Hancock County is like an inchworm. She said, “little by little we are getting to where we need to be.”
Literacy in Hancock County
Butts says her organization is focused on one primary goal.
“Being able to read by third grade,” Butts said. “So we are really honing in on that and working with our school district to make sure our students are proficient readers by third grade.”
Community leaders want better readers along with better health for people in the county.
Health in Hancock County
Chambreé Harris works with the Hancock Health Improvement Partnership.
“We are indeed trying to make Hancock County the healthiest county in Georgia,” said Harris.
And the county is moving in the right direction.
“We’re moving in the direction of making sure that our families and children get what they need in order to be able to compete in this 21st century,” Butts said.
The Healthcare Georgia Foundation established the Hancock Health Improvement Partnership. The program helps to expand access to quality medical options and achieve greater wellness among rural Georgians.
Harris says HHIP received a total of $270,000 in the past three years from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation.
HHIP is using the funds to improve literacy, provide healthy environments, and focus on economic development.
“We were able to donate funds… that one donation led an incentive to get other organizations, to help fund-raise for that playground,” said Harris. “So as of May this year, it’s a playground at our local elementary school that we were happy to help fund.”
Along with the new playground, children in the county also have new access to reading material.
“We only have access to one library,” Butts explained. “One of the things HHIP was able to do is we were able to go out and take funds to put little libraries throughout the community.”
HHIP is actively engaging the community to identify and develop goals, objectives, and strategies.
Current objectives include increasing nutritional education and the number of community gardens.
More information
To see the detailed Community Health Improvement Plan, click here.
If you have an idea that will improve literacy, economic development, or addresses a healthy environment and housing, contact Hancock Health Improvement Partnership at: HancockHIP@gmail.com or call them at 478.550.2483 and request a grant application.
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