board president
Colleagues and Friends,
Offering quality education for all Cherokee County School District students is the most critical path to a strong and prosperous future for our community. The Cherokee County Educational Foundation, a nonprofit group of committed volunteers, is unwavering in its commitment to this cause. We partner with our public schools to provide critical resources needed to continue delivering excellence in education for our students.
As President of our Board of Directors, I want to thank our donors and volunteers for their continued support and financial contributions that make our work possible. Your role in the Educational Foundation is not just important, it’s indispensable. Through your support, the Educational Foundation can award impact grants to our teachers and staff for ideas to educate, innovate, and celebrate our students. We can support professional development and standards-based arts, science, mathematics, and special education programs. The Educational Foundation also provides grants to support Cherokee County’s Teacher of the Year, Partner of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year recognition programs. Your contributions are the reason we can do all this, and more.
I am honored to have served on the Board of Directors since 2012 and thankful I work for Northside Hospital Cherokee, an organization that values education as much as I do. Please join me in continuing to support a strong education for all students and to support our teachers and educators in the work they do. Our future working together is bright.
Sincerely,
Billy Hayes
Northside Hospital Cherokee, CEO Cherokee County Educational Foundation, Board President
Billy Hayes
President, Northside Hospital-Cherokee, CEO
Kevin Williams Vice President, Chick-fil-A, Owner/Operator
Candler Howell
Treasurer, CCSD Retired Assistant Superintendent for Finance
Kathy Strom
Secretary, Community Volunteer
Brian Albrecht
President/CEO, Credit Union of Georgia
Shuntel Beach
Community Volunteer
Zach Blend Goshen Valley Foundation
Kyla Cromer
CCSD School Board Chair
Jennifer Davis
board ofdirectors
Cherokee County Juvenile Court Judge
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Davis
CCSD Superintendent of Schools
Naceo Denney
Georgia Power/Southern Co.
Arlene Dickerson
Technical Resource Solutions
Randy Hall
President/CEO, Batson-Cook Construction
Lisa-Marie Haygood
CCEF Executive Director
Rebecca Johnston
Retired Editor, Cherokee Tribune
Audrey Legrand
Cherokee County
Council PTA President
Mike McGowan
CCSD Chief of Staff
Shawn Meade Partner/Private Wealth Manager, Creative Planning
Peggy Moore
McClure Family Foundation
Geoff Morton Cherokee County Manager
Kenneth Owen CCSD Chief Financial Officer
Abby Roach Roach, Caudill & Frost, LLP
Diana Ruslin Community Volunteer
Jenny Spain CCSD Retired Educator
Whitney Spear
History Cherokee Dr. Gary Sullenger Community Volunteer
The Cherokee County Educational Foundation (CCEF), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit private charity, is dedicated to supporting the students and staff of Cherokee County School District (CCSD) by promoting teaching, learning, and celebrating achievements.
how we
our impactschools
CCEF is dedicated to supporting the students and staff of the Cherokee County School District. Our goal is to provide opportunities for growth and innovation while giving teachers and students the necessary tools to make learning exciting. This year, CCEF increased the accessibility of our grants to teachers by opening our application and recipient cycle for yearround availability.
Our RAPID GRANT Program, available in any amount up to $500, is open to all Cherokee County School District faculty and can be applied for throughout the year.
Our CLASSROOM IMPACT GRANT Program awards Cherokee County School District teachers up to $2,500 for various classroom projects or items. Thirty-five CCSD teachers were awarded Classroom Impact Grants in 2023-2024.
Our CCEF Grant Program has funded a wide variety of needs including STEM projects, sensory equipment for special needs students, in-class field trips, and outdoor classrooms and gardens. Grants have also helped fund virtual reality headsets, theatrical rights for plays and productions, kindergarten transition packets, English language learning games, and various other needs and projects.
LEGACY GIVING
$83,500
Gifts to CCEF that fund scholarship opportunities for CCSD Students
IMPACT GRANTS
$54,301 Up to $2,500
FUNDRAISING & EVENTS INCOME
$501,129
RAPID GRANTS
$36,973 Up to $500 GRANTS & DONATIONS
DISTRICT WIDE GRANTS
$102,600
$84,843
TOTAL REVENUE
$585,972
mission purpose &
The Cherokee County Educational Foundation was created to raise funds and awareness to support continued excellence in all classrooms and schools of the Cherokee County School District. We fund innovative and creative learning opportunities and celebrate the achievements of the students and staff of our award-winning school district.
#EducateInnovateCelebrate
#educate
(verb): give intellectual, moral, and social instruction to someone, especially a child, typically at a school or university.
GRANTS used to help educate our students and staff have included:
• World’s Greatest Artists collections for media Centers
• Pollinator gardens and sustainable agriculture projects
• Phenomenon-based Inquiry Lab equipment
• Theater workshops
• Economics Projects, such as “Lemonade Wars”
• Digital education in construction equipment
• STEM lab robotics
• Djembe Drums
• LEGO® Robotics
• Backyard Biologist projects
• Model Z Rocketry Equipment
• Stock market games
• Math Stackers
• Special education coffee shoppe materials
• Musical Boomwhackers
• Duplicate Copies of Magic Tree House books for media centers
• Acrylic wall organizers for scholarship and collegiate materials in high school guidance counselor offices
• Science lab safety equipment
• Weight room equipment
• Adaptive physical education equipment
• Visiting Artist from the Georgia Chalk Artist Guild
• Consumable art supplies
• Author visits
• Cash registers
• Xylophones
• Microphones and headphones
• Kindergarten welcome book-bags
• Secret Stories reading program
#innovate
(verb): make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.
R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy students perfect their xylophone skills on equipment music teacher Ben Sexton purchased using a competitive grant he won from the Cherokee County Educational Foundation for his “Project Boom” initiative. #CCSDElevateTheExcellence
#celebrate
(verb): acknowledge a significant or happy day or event with a social gathering or enjoyable activity.
DISTRICT-WIDE GRANTS that celebrate include:
• Academic Bowls
• Educators Hall of Fame
• ELL Students
• Employee Milestones Recognition
• Leadership Symposium
• New Teacher Recruitment
• Partner Engagement
• Partner/Volunteer of the Year
• Principals Meeting Breakfast
• Reading Bowl
• Retirement Recognition Event
• Scholars Banquet
• School Bus Driver of the Year
• School Nutrition Team of the Year
• Student Advisor & Delegates Appreciation
• Support Staff of the Year
• Teacher of the Year
Scholars Banquet
E.T. Booth Reading Bowl Team
Creekland Middle School Academic Bowl Winners
how our impacts our schools community
REACH GEORGIA SCHOLARS
legacy giving
REACH Georgia is the state of Georgia’s first needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program. REACH directly addresses this critical need, generating opportunities for more Georgia students to enter the postsecondary education pipeline, and subsequently, for more college graduates to enter the diversified workforce of the future. For our second class, 7 CCSD middle schoolers have been selected as a CCSD REACH Georgia scholar.
DON STEVENS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The Don Stevens Memorial Scholarship supports Cherokee County High School students who are pursuing their private pilot’s license. Mr. Stevens was a retired captain for Delta Airlines and the longtime chairman of the Cherokee County Airport Authority. His family created the scholarship, with the assistance of the Cherokee County Educational Foundation, to both honor his memory and help students with the expenses of training and obtaining their private pilot’s licenses.
CONGRATULATIONS!
$10,000—Flight Training Scholarship:
Garrett Williams, Cherokee High School
$500 each—Private Pilot
Ground School Scholarships
Landon Robinson, Cherokee High School
Jack McGuigan, Cherokee High School
Paige Hendon of Creekland MS, Seanna Felicien of Dean Rusk MS, Katherine Sacan of E.T. Booth MS, Kaleb Winn of Freedom MS, Natalie Figueroa of Mill Creek MS, Jazzlyn Long of Teasley MS and Andy BalderasFresnillo of Woodstock MS.
fundraising & events
The Chick-fil-A 5k Road Race is held in August every year and is the largest 5k Peachtree qualifier in North Georgia!
Each October, CCEF hosts the Fall Classics: Golf, Pickleball, and Tennis on the same day.
The CCEF Annual T-SHirt Campaign offers some of the coolest spiritwear in town that is the perfect look for jean days for CCSD staff members.
Our Annual Celebration of Education Gala, held in March, allows us to honor the CCSD Alumni of the Year, while bringing together 400 of our finest dressed friends to raise funds for our Grant Programs.
The CCEF Sporting Clays Classic brings together our outdoor enthusiasts for a day of summer clay pigeon throwing.
Chick-fil-A 5K Road Race
Fall Classics
Celebration of Education Gala
T-Shirt Sales
CCEF Sporting Clays Classic
Dear Supporters,
Since 2012, CCEF has ensured that the Cherokee County School District’s students, teachers, and staff always have access to the resources and innovation that will ensure excellence in our public schools.
executive director
Strong public schools are part of the backbone that makes our Cherokee County community such a desirable place for children to live, learn, and grow. Great schools attract strong businesses, desirable job opportunities, better infrastructure like parks and roads, and, in turn, better access to medical care, entertainment, and substantial home and property values.
As the Foundation’s Executive Director for seven years, I have witnessed the incredible support and growth we have enjoyed from this community. Your contributions have been the driving force behind our events, which have grown in size and impacted year after year. Your support has enabled us to continue growing and supporting our schools. You are not just supporters but integral members of our Foundation, and we are grateful for your continued involvement.
Since the beginning of this school year, we have already awarded more than 40 Rapid Grants and funded more than $100,000 for district-wide school initiatives like Support Staff of the Year, New Teacher Recruitment, and Elementary and Middle School Academic Bowls. These initiatives have directly impacted our students and schools, enhanced the learning environment, and supported our dedicated staff.
CCEF has again committed to annually funding the Georgia Reach Scholars Program for Cherokee County. This program identifies bright and talented middle school students who often would be the first in their families to attend college. Each middle school will have a scholar identified, and that student will receive a mentor to facilitate their academic and personal success. The program supports their success through high school graduation and leads them on to secondary studies in a public college or university in Georgia with a fully funded academic scholarship.
We are incredibly excited about the growth and demand for our events, grants, and outreach. We are deeply grateful for this community’s continued support and encourage you to share your time, talents, and resources with us. Your involvement is crucial in our mission to ensure the excellence of our CCSD schools.
Sincerely,
Lisa-Marie Haygood CCEF Executive Director
superintendent
Dear CCEF Friends,
Throughout my conversations over the past year with our teachers, staff and students’ families, they have shared their gratitude for our community’s public education champions.
The community’s pride in our schools is both amazing and encouraging, as we work together to ensure our students are learning more, growing more, and achieving more in our classrooms than they could anywhere else.
Some of our proudest and most dedicated champions can be found among the board members, sponsors, volunteers and donors supporting the Cherokee County Educational Foundation.
The foundation’s engagement and fundraising provide critically needed boosts to our mission. Knowing that the foundation and its supporters stand with us is incredibly uplifting.
The dollars granted directly to our classrooms and programs each year make a lasting positive impact on our students’ success. I love visiting our classrooms and hearing teachers talk about the bright ideas funded into reality thanks to a foundation grant. Our special programs to recognize the best of the best among our employees are made possible thanks to the enduring support of the foundation. From our TEAM Cherokee new teacher orientation to our Teacher of the Year and Support Staff Employees of the Year ceremonies to our Retiring Legends celebration, you generously help us shine the spotlight on our employees every step along the way of their career.
The foundation also lends its strong support to our efforts to engage families and business and community partners in our schools. From encouraging partners to join in foundation fundraising to sponsoring our Partner of the Year and Volunteer of the Year recognitions, we always can call on the foundation for assistance.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the huge heart you display daily for our students, teachers, and staff!
Sincerely,
Mary Elizabeth Davis
Mary Elizabeth Daivs Superintendent Cherokee County School District
choose tax dollars go where your
The PEACH EDUCATION TAX CREDIT
allows tax payers to donate to support innovative programs that foster educational excellence for students across the state. Donors received a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on their state income tax.
Your state tax dollars can stay local to directly benefit the CHEROKEE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT via the CHEROKEE COUNTY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION with NO additional costs to you.
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
STEP 1: Apply Now www.gfpe.org (It takes less than a minute to complete your application and GFPE will submit your application to the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) on your behalf).
STEP 2: Receive Approval GFPE and DOR will notify you of your approved tax credit amount and payment deadline to take part in PEACH.
STEP 3: Make your Donation Submit your payment to GFPE before the payment deadline, which is 60 days after receiving pre-approval from the DOR. Please select Cherokee County Educational Foundation from the dropdown menu. Within one week of receiving your donation, the GFPE
This GFPE only strengthens the reason to support our local teachers and students through Cherokee County Education Foundation. It’s a perfect partnership and makes for great personal stewardship!
KEVIN WILLIAMS
will send you the Form IT-QED-FUND1, which serves as the receipt for the donation. If you prefer to make a donation via check, please contact GFPE for details at 678-590-7047.
STEP 4: Claim your Tax Credit To claim the tax credit on your state income taxes, you will need to complete Form IT-QED-TP2 and attach it to your income tax return when it is filed. (Note: you will take the credit when you file your taxes in the year following your contribution).
Tax Credit Eligibility Limits Are Based On Filing Status
Single individual or head of household: Up to $1,000 GA income tax credit
Married couples filing separately: Up to $1,250 GA income tax credit
Married couple filing jointly: Up to $2,500 GA income tax credit
S-corporation shareholder, LLC member or Partnership (Pass-through Entity) NOT paying tax at entity level: Up to $10,000 GA income tax credit
C-corporation, trust, or Pass-through Entity electing to pay tax at entity level: Up to 75% GA tax liability
infinite giving
CCEF has partnered with Infinite Giving to provide our donors with a wider range of contribution options. This partnership allows you to make contributions with stocks, bonds, and even real estate, which can be financially beneficial due to the tax incentives available. The staff at Infinite Giving, who are well-versed with current laws, will walk alongside you, ensuring all paperwork and filings are handled efficiently and timely. We encourage you to consider these alternative methods of giving, which not only support our mission but also offer financial advantages.
Gift Stock: Stock and crypto are the most tax-efficient ways to donate for your personal tax return.
Gift Crypto: Stock and crypto are the most tax-efficient ways to donate for your personal tax return.
Gift a DAF Grant: Give from your Donor Advised Fund from your existing account at another financial institution.
Gift an Endowment: Give a one-time donation that can provide a percentage of returns every year for decades.
I was very happy to utilize Infinite Giving’s Platform because I could contribute appreciated stock to the CCEF, write off the full market value of the stock and avoid paying taxes on the gains. It’s the best of both worlds! SHAWN MEADE
supporters of the cherokee county educational foundation
corporate/organizations individuals
IN MEMORIAM
The Cherokee County Educational Foundation dedicates this annual report to the life and legacy of Margaret Nell “Peggy” McClure Moore. We are deeply grateful for her service from the inception of this Foundation and appreciate the lasting impact of her dedication to the students and teachers of Cherokee County.
Est. 2012
CHEROKEE COUNTY
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION P.O. Box 4754, Canton, GA 30114 (770) 704-4213 | ccefga.org
