Cook County Family Connection

09/01/2026

We have finished conducting surveys and interviews with 250 residents and community leaders to examine local needs and concerns, and we'll begin sharing those findings soon. In the meantime, one of our leaders (Dr. Chet Ballard) created this word cloud to capture the most common words and themes that surfaced during the surveys/interviews. We ❤️ hearing the voices and input of residents about what really matters to them!

STAY TUNED as we begin to share some interesting facts and findings with you during the next week...

09/01/2026

Being a Family Connection Collaborative is not a haphazard process; it's a strategic approach that includes meeting over 40 compliance standards that prove our accountability. Our governing board met today with our Regional Manager (Lisa Brewer) to review those standards and discuss collaborative processes in Cook County. We're proud to say that we have met all standards (100% Compliance) because of our AMAZING leaders who are committed and dedicated to community collaboration! 💫⭐️💫

08/31/2026

We often talk about numbers and statistics, but today on OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY we remember that every statistic is (or was) an actual person--a child, a spouse, a parent, a relative, or a friend. That is why we work to help prevent opioid overdose! 💜

08/28/2026

Our friends from the Probation Department (Dept. of Community Supervision) delivered an awesome food donation this week! We will be sharing these supplies with the senior citizens we serve, through sidewalk food pantries, and through the Kindness Kits distributed through our Family Connection Resource Office. DCS is an amazing partner and we are so grateful for the donations they give to help support our work! THANKS DCS 🧡

08/28/2026

We love when our partners stop by to share their success! Our friend Joseph from Adventist Community Services received a grant award to buy a new delivery truck. He covers numerous counties across South Georgia (including Cook) delivering cases of food to senior centers, and this new truck will make their mission work much easier and more comfortable. Congratulations Joseph!!

08/21/2026

Thank you to our partner Dr. Tammie Patterson, Director of the Children's Advocacy Center of Lowndes County, Inc., for inviting us to visit the center this morning. We learned more about their team of forensic investigators and trauma therapists, and the important work they do for child abuse victims across eight counties (including Cook County). Photo from left: Dr. Zoe Myers (Cook County), Dr. Tammie Patterson, Natalie Singletary (Brooks County) and Jennifer Taylor (Cook County).

08/19/2026

DID YOU KNOW that there are many programs, services, and even playgrounds operating today that were created by our leaders and partners years ago? In August 2011 we built a playground that is used today by children at Community Christian Academy and the Boys & Girls Club. It was an empty lot overgrown with weeds and bushes; and our volunteers spent days pulling weeds, cutting down shrubs, and installing play equipment that we bought with our grant funding. THE PHOTO ON THE LEFT was taken the day we opened the playground 15 years ago, and THE PHOTO ON THE RIGHT was taken this week.

As we worked on that playground project in 2011, our leaders hoped that it would be a place where children would laugh and play for years into the future... Looks like we accomplished that goal and that makes us very happy!! 🤩💜🤩

08/09/2026

We are proud to be partnered with the Georgia Overdose Prevention Project... If you or someone you love uses opioid drugs or struggles with opioid addiction, PLEASE HAVE AN OVERDOSE PREVENTION KIT and know how to use it. You can order a FREE OVERDOSE KIT by clicking "Request Naloxone Kit" on their website:

Fatal Opioid Overdoses are Preventable with Naloxone Beloved victims of fatal overdoses whose loved ones worked with Georgia Overdose Prevention for the passage of GA's 911 Medical Amnesty Law, and our cofounder Jeremy Galloway.

08/08/2026

Thanks to a generous donation from our partners at the Dept. of Community Supervision (probation dept.), we were able to provide needed back-to-school supplies for multiple children. This partnership is a true Win-Win situation... probation clients purchase needed items as part of their community service requirements; the probation officers collect and deliver those donations to Family Connection; and our team packages and delivers the donated items to families/individuals who are in need. HOW GREAT IS THAT?!? 🎉

08/07/2026

Our leaders/partners are working, researching, learning as much as possible about substance misuse/addiction. We cannot begin to find solutions to problems until we first understand the root causes that contribute to those problems. DID YOU KNOW that 50% of the risk for addiction is biological and inherited genetics; that over half of drug abusers have an existing mental health disorder; or that social and spiritual wellness greatly reduce the risk of addiction? Our director Dr. Zoe Myers (an addiction expert) is available to present educational sessions on these topics for community groups or organizations who would like to learn more. Just call our office at 229-549-7976. Recovery is possible.