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It's a Wonderful Life
Chatham County wraps up 2024 and looks forward with hope for the future
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Investing In Our Future
Breaking Ground on the Early Childhood Learning Center
Local leaders gathered on Tuesday, Dec. 3 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC), a major joint initiative between Chatham County and the City of Savannah, aimed at addressing educational and economic health disparities in East Savannah.
Designed to provide quality education-based childcare services, the ECLC will serve children from six weeks to four years old, and will accommodate up to 144 children, adhering to Quality Rated standards set by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. The ECLC will be constructed on property provided through a long-term ground lease with the Housing Authority, underscoring the strong partnership between local government and community organizations.
Chatham Commission Chairman Chester A. Ellis sees this investment paying future dividends for our county. “To invest in this facility is to invest in our future,” Ellis said. “For the children are our future, and we need to teach them well so that they will know the way.”
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"I feel like I belong here"
County & City Therapeutic Recreation Programs come together for a dazzling holiday favorite event
 For many members of our community, the Annual Therapeutic Holiday Ball has long been one of the reasons December is the most wonderful time of the year. This year’s “Glitz and Glam” gala, held in the Savannah Civic Center Ballroom, was a sparkling event specifically tailored for adults and youth with disabilities. Together with their families, friends, and care providers, they dined and danced the night away in an inclusive and joyful celebration.
The Holiday Ball offers an opportunity for families facing similar challenges to come together, connect, build a supportive network, and even become close friends. Through shared experiences, they create lasting bonds and find encouragement from one another. At the Holiday Ball, they celebrate together and get back a little bit of the love that they pour out on others the rest of the year.
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Tips from Chatham Fire for keeping the happy in your holidays
 Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, baking Christmas cookies for the kids, decking the halls and trimming the tree with strings of colored lights are all the stuff of happy holidays. They are for Chatham County’s Fire Department, too, but only if they’re all done with an eye toward safety and fire prevention.
All our Fire Department wants for Christmas is you . . . to be safe from fire hazards and other perils that can sneak in like the Grinch to steal your seasonal joy. CCFD Captain Carl Sapp joined The Chat to remind us how being mindful of safety during all the distractions that come with the season will help to keep the holidays jolly.
They’re experts on “jolly” by the way – “Santa Detail” is a favorite annual CCFD tradition!
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Great adoption rates are a testament to great effort, great collaborations, and great love for animals
 “I love what I do. I love my job, I know the people I work with love their jobs. We wouldn’t be in this profession if we didn’t love this job and seek some kind of good resolution to what we do.” When Chatham County Animal Services Officer Supervisor Tasha Reed talks about the work that she and others on the Animal Services team do on behalf of the animals they care for, the word love comes up repeatedly. It’s the soft-hearted love for wet noses and waggly tails that motivates them to work the long hours and pursue every option for the best outcomes for those animals entrusted to their care. It’s also the steely love that fortifies them to stand firm in the gap for animals needing their intervention in cases of cruelty or neglect.
Long hours. Hard work. Great need. They do it for the happy resolutions that make it all worthwhile. “We work so much,” she says, but when a dog has had a hard existence “and you get to see it walk out of the shelter with a wagging tail and a new family, it’s the best feeling in the world, and I just want that for every animal ever!”
Officer Reed joined us on The Chat to talk about what drives Animal Services team members to go the extra mile and do everything it takes to bring about happy endings like they’ve had this month. “CCAS had 43 adoptions last month – that’s the highest we’ve had! It’s all credited to this wonderful community that we have of animal lovers, our loving staff that we have -- kennel staff to animal control assistants all the way up to the director and everyone in between. Our adoption coordinator works super hard, networking everyone and getting everyone’s faces out there and working with them daily. So 43 adoptions in one month is outstanding, and we couldn’t have done it without everyone involved!”
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Chatham Parks & Recreation and these cheerful quilters keep each other in stitches!
 Sunshine pours through big windows into the large, light-filled room, splashing over a tumble of bright odds and ends that are in the process of becoming vibrant works of art. An upbeat mix of music pours through the open office door in Lake Mayer’s Community Center, “I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day…” and “ABC, easy as 123!” and “Got a black magic woman…” providing an oddly perfect background soundtrack for the quiet whirring of sewing machines and the lively chatter and laughter of the women concocting something out of bits of nothing. The real sunshine in the room, though, comes from within each of these women who gather weekly to sew.
Some of them stitch cheery cotton prints into pillowcases for children who spend too many nights in hospital beds. Some make Quilts Of Valor -- red, white, and blue quilts of the best possible workmanship to be awarded to service members or veterans touched by war. Some turn their talents to quarterly challenge projects, and some create very personal projects, perhaps using materials left to them by a loved one who passed away or from scraps of other projects. Some of their quilts are showpieces, works of art, and they've got the awards to show for it. All of them are made with joy and love, and they're more than happy share that with anyone who'd like to join them.
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Have yourself a caring little Christmas
 The Doors of the Project Management Office are decorated with all the sparkle of the season, but each door also has a theme and a purpose — each door highlights awareness for a meaningful cause. This time of year can be particularly challenging for people navigating personal struggles and issues, such as those represented on the doors. PMO’s hope is that their doors serve as a gentle reminder to celebrate the season with compassion, ready to give the gift of a listening ear, a warm hug, or a kind word to those who may be going through difficult times.
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County Engineering team members have a cracking good time
with the challenge to create a traditional holiday icon
using only found or recycled materials
The Chatham County Engineering Department hosted a Nutcracker Contest – but with a twist! Those that competed put their engineering minds to work to design and build nutcrackers out of recyclable or found materials. From scrap wood to reused plastics, the creativity was off the charts!
This fun internal contest isn’t just about holiday spirit—it highlights the department’s dedication to designing with the environment in mind. Great designs and great sustainability go hand in hand!
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Join Team Chatham!
Chatham County Human Resources is looking for you!
Attorneys and activities instructors... engineers and electricians... managers and mechanics... detectives and dump truck drivers . . . clerks, call-takers, and carpenters. Chatham County Government serves in so many ways, and it takes all sorts of skillsets to make it happen. Whatever your experience, whatever your goals, Team Chatham may have just the right fit for you!
Check out this week's jobs listings and check for new listings every Thursday.
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 Just a Reminder . . .
COUNTY OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED
Tuesday, December 24th and
Wednesday, December 25th
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