Pickens County Family Connection, Inc.

The Pickens County Health Department provides many needed services to families and to the community. The professional staff of nurses, nutritionists and environmentalists, along with supporting clerical staff and technicians, strive to deliver quality preventative health care. Vision: Our Vision for the North Georgia Health District is healthy people, families and communities. Mission: Our Mission is to promote and protect the health of the people in the North Georgia Health District wherever they live, work and play, through population-based preventive programs including:

Prevention of epidemics and the spread of disease
Protection against environmental hazards
Injury prevention
Promotion and encouragement of healthy behaviors
Responding to disasters and assisting communities to recover
Assisting communities in assessing the quality and accessibility of health services

Contact Information: 706-253-2821

Youth Activities
Jan Coleman, Program Manager

Pickens County Family Connection supports positive youth development through three youth programs: mentoring, life skills training, and youth council. Mentors meet with their student one-on-one during school hours and give encouragement, coaching, a listening ear and a loving heart. Life skills equips students in middle school with the information, skills and attitudes needed to avoid risky behaviors. Youth council provides opportunities for leadership development as well as a forum for youth to discuss societal issues. These programs are funded by local donations and a grant from the Georgia Division of Public Health. They are directed by Jan Coleman as an employee of Pickens County Family Connection. For more information or to make a contribution, contact Jan Coleman, Program Manager, email jcolemanmentoring@yahoo.com, or phone 706-253-0385.

The Appalachian Children’s Center, Inc. (ACC) is a nonprofit organization and was formed to provide immediate support and assistance to children who have been abused and their families that may include advocacy, crisis intervention, forensic interviewing, forensic evaluations, forensic medical exams, therapy, support groups, legal advocacy, case tracking, and public education. The ACC is located in Ellijay and serves Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens Counties. Tax deductible donations are accepted at this address: Appalachian Children's Center, Inc., P. O. Box 1373, Ellijay, GA 30540. For more information, contact Kristen Lewis, Executive Director of the Appalachian Children's Center at 706-273-2225.

Kristen Lewis
Executive Director of ACC

Latrice Parnell
Georgia Fatherhood Program/OCSE, Atlanta Office

Deanna Ballinger
Georgia Fatherhood Program, Appalachian Technical College

The Georgia Fatherhood program is ready to serve non-custodial parents in Pickens county! If you are unemployed or underemployed, our program offers: Free technical training through Appalachian Tech college, Life Skills workshops, One on One Career Counseling, and Job Search and Job Placement Assistance.

Our next Fatherhood program orientation will take place Tuesday, August 31 from 10 am-12pm at the Blue Ridge Dept. of Labor on Appalachian Highway in Blue Ridge, GA. Interested parents can also contact Deanna Ballinger at 706-253-4587 to meet at Appalachian Tech to learn more about the program.

Tiffany Brown, Prevention Education Coordinator for the North Georgia Mountain Crisis Network. Tiffany delivers prevention topics to children, adolescents, young adults, and citizens of Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens County. Mrs. Diana Thomas, the Program Director, is also the Sexual Assault Director and assists rape victims in the Tri-County area. Our agency also has a toll-free crisis line at 1-800-33-HAVEN(4286). The sexual assault office number is 706-492-3836.

Pickens County Department of Family And Family Children Services

Administers and provides the following:

Information and referral
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
Medicaid for children and pregnant women
Adult Medicaid and nursing home assistance
Food Stamp Program
Employability Programs
Child Care Assistance
Child Protective Services
Foster Care and Child Placement Services
Adoption and Resource Development
Family Support Services
State Aid Cancer Assistance (applications)
Lions Club Lighthouse - glasses and hearing aid assistance (applications taken)
Roberts Fund - assists with glasses for school age children
Project Share (Salvation Army Assistance) - applications taken

Eligibility Requirements: For financial assistance, persons must meet financial/income and needs- based criteria. Service programs are State and Federally mandated and are provided without regard to income.

Contact Number: (706) 692-4701

Certified Literate Community Program, Inc.
Camille Robinson, CLCP Executive Director

The Certified Literate Community Program provides the necessary funding for GED students to take their GED test without having to pay out of their pockets the $55.00 required. CLCP Executive Director writes grants raising funds for software programs, books to be used in the classroom and works with the other 3 counties in our SDA area to purchase the necessary GED traveling test kits that go from county to county, talks one-on-one with people in the community about the GED program and how getting your GED can change your life and talks with children/teens about not dropping out of school. To raise additional funds two fundraisers are done every year. Beginning in February the Annual Spelling Bee for ADULTS is a big hit with the traveling trophy. In the spring, summer or fall the Annual Golf Tournament takes place. These two fundraiser raise annually close to $10,000.00 for the community of Pickens County. Camille Robinson can be reached at 706-253-4574 Monday -Wednesday, if not there, call cell phone 404-372-0784.

Pickens County Head Start/Pre-K serves 3 & 4 year old children. We are funded by the Federal Government for 111 three and four year old children and 60 Pre-K four year old children funded by the State of Georgia. Head Start/Pre-K serves children with disabilities. The Curriculum that we use is called High Scope and Second Step. Our Program is accredited by NAEYC, Bright from the Start Early Learning and Georgia Commission. We invite you to visit our Program to learn more about how Head Start/Pre-K operates. For more information give us a call at 770-735-3434.

The Pickens County Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership association which plays a leading role in the continued economic growth and community improvement of Pickens County. The mission of the Pickens County Chamber of Commerce, Inc. is to actively promote Pickens County, assist with economic development, improve the quality of life of its citizens, preserve its natural beauty, and enhance the value of Pickens County citizenship. This is achieved by supporting quality education and health care, providing a link between the people of the county, business and industry, and local government; cooperating with other agencies and communities for regional growth and development; preserving the heritage of our area; protecting our natural resources; and insuring managed growth and development of our county. For more information, you can call the Chamber at 706-692-5600.

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Pickens County Family Connection, Inc.
Physical Address: 2404 Refuge Road • Jasper, GA 30143
(We are in the bottom portion of the building.)
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 570 • Tate, GA 30177
Phone: (706) 253-0385 • Fax: (706) 253-0387
Email: directorpcfc@yahoo.com