Copyright © 2006 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved
News from the Cherokee Nation, OK
Copyright © 2006 CNO
GORE, OKLAHOMA – Through its Community Work Project program, the Cherokee Nation recently invested matching funds in the Cedar Springs Baptist Church near Gore to help with an expansion project, including the fellowship hall, kitchen, dining room, and the addition of siding to classrooms adjacent to the original sanctuary.
Volunteers at the Cedar Springs Baptist Church work on a remodeling project, made possible in part by the Cherokee Nation Community Work Project Program. 
Church members have also undertaken a research project to collect, document and display photographs, documents and artifacts chronicling the history of the area.
The $3,000 investment represents the first installment in a total investment of more than $12,000 from the Cherokee Nation, which Cedar Springs officials will match with over $14,000 of their own contributions, primarily in the form of community labor.
Initial monies will fund work for both Phases One and Two. Phase One will include residing the classrooms and the research project. Phase Two will include expansion of the fellowship hall.
“These projects let communities prioritize what they need and work together to make it happen,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “We’re proud of the work our citizens are doing for their own community and are happy the Cherokee Nation can contribute to the good things that are already going on here.”
Pastor Al Phillips said this donation is both a physical and spiritual blessing.
“We got the project started and are halfway through with the siding phase and will start soon on Phase Two. Everything is going according to plan,” Phillips said. “I appreciate all that Cherokee Nation has done for us. “
Cedar Springs Baptist Church has a small, 40 to 50-member congregation made up primarily of Cherokee and Creek parishioners. It also draws members from Notchie Town.
“We are a small church, and the Cherokee Nation funds are going to help us finish these projects. Without these funds, it would have taken us years to complete them. We are very grateful to the Cherokee Nation that these funds were made available to us,” said church member Eloise Locust.
The purpose of Community Work Projects is to develop stronger Cherokee communities by providing small amounts of matching funding to assist communities and community-based organizations within the Cherokee Nation’s 14-county tribal jurisdiction to organize around issues and projects that have broad community support. Projects must have a self-help focus and must be aimed in a broad sense at improving the community’s ability to be self-reliant.
In 2005, Cherokee Nation invested over $486,000 in 28 different organizations for improvement projects within the communities.
For more information about the Cherokee Nation Community Work Project program, contact Denise Honawa, Community Services administrative officer, phone: 918-453-5248 or send e-mail.
| Related Cherokee Nation contact information: |
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Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org
Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager |
Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org
Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation |