CPEC - Who We Are

Community Partnership of Elbert County began as Elbert County Family Connection (ECFC) in 1991, when Elbert County was selected as one of the pilot sites for a new Georgia initiative called The Family Connection. Today, Family Connection exists in all 159 Georgia counties. Each community has a broad based collaborative partnership that develops, implements, and evaluates a community plan.

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While each Family Connection county pursues its own vision for children and families, the communities focus on 5 critical areas: healthy children, children ready for school, children succeeding in school, strong families, and self-sufficient families.

As a new initiative for both the state and Elbert County, the collaborative struggled for several years before becoming a stable and viable organization. In 1999, a 5 year strategic plan was developed by the ECFC collaborative, with the following areas identified: (1) school success, (2) teen pregnancy prevention, (3) economic self-sufficiency, and (4) child abuse prevention. In January of 1999, ECFC incorporated as a private non profit organization, and in March of 2001, ECFC became a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt organization.

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In 2000, ECFC decided to enhance its school success component by applying for a $5,000 planning grant from Communities In Schools of Georgia. Communities In Schools (CIS) is the nation's largest school success organization, seeking to help kids succeed in school and prepare for life. CIS believes that every child needs and deserves "The Five Basics": (1) a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, (2) a healthy start and a healthy future, (3) a safe place to learn and grow, (4) a marketable skill to use upon graduation, and (5) a chance to give back to peers and to their community.

ECFC received the planning grant in June of 2000. Upon completion of a year-long planning process, it was decided to begin a CIS initiative in Elbert County under the umbrella of ECFC. In June of 2001, ECFC was awarded a $25,000 implementation grant to begin our CIS initiative, and was, in July of 2003, successfully completed the process to become a chartered CIS site.

A CIS Advisory Board was charged with oversight of the CIS initiative, and the ECFC Board of Directors was responsible for oversight of the Family Connection collaborative. In April of 2002, it was decided to combine the two boards for a more streamlined and coordinated approach. Later in July of 2002, ECFC decided to change its name to Community Partnership of Elbert County (CPEC), a name that more accurately reflected the work of the organization.

In 2004, CPEC merged with the Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP). This merge allowed CPEC to concentrate fully on breaking the cycle of illiteracy and poverty while preventing the duplication of services provided to Elbert County residents.