Anna Crawford, a therapist and longtime advocate for children in Cherokee County, has died at 80 after a battle with cancer.
Crawford, the founder of The Anna Crawford Children's Center and Cherokee Counseling and Psychological Associates, both in Woodstock, died December 15 at her home in Mississippi.
Crawford dedicated her life to serving and helping children, women and families in need in her community, said Barbara Thomason, her partner of 28 years.
Crawford founded Cherokee Counseling and Psychological Associates in downtown Woodstock in 1985. The multidisciplinary team of professionals continues to provide therapeutic services to individuals and families.
Warren Kaplan was part of the group of people who helped Crawford open the counseling center.
Crawford, who worked for years with children who have been abused, was also one of the original founders of the Cherokee Council on Child Abuse Inc. in 1990, later known as the Cherokee Child Advocacy Center. This would eventually be renamed The Anna Crawford Children’s Center in the mid-1990s, Thomason said.
Amy Economopoulos, executive director of the Anna Crawford Children's Center, said Crawford interviewed her in 2000 for a therapist and forensic interviewer position at the center.
Amy described Crawford as "an art lover, elegant, kind, compassionate, giving, and a strong female role model who brought beauty wherever she went." In addition to her work with children, Crawford also served on the board of directors for the Cobb County Young Women's Christian Association, The Cherokee Family Violence Center, The Georgia Council and Task Force on Domestic Violence and was a trainer and supervisor for the Cobb and Cherokee Battered Women’s shelters.
Crawford had expertise knowledge in rape crisis, battering, abuse and family disfunction, which led to her appointment by former Georgia Governor Zell Miller to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Mental Health and Substance Abuse.
Woodstock Mayor Michael Caldwell will present the 2023 State of the City Address at two events in January, the city announced.
In the address, the mayor will outline the city' accomplishments of 2022 and provide a preview of where Woodstock is heading in 2023.
IN WDSTK will host the State of the City Breakfast January 20 in the Woodstock Arts City Center Theater. Registration and a networking breakfast is scheduled to start at 7:45 a.m. and the program will begin at 8:15 a.m.
Mayor Caldwell will deliver the address again to the Woodstock City Council at the mayor and council meeting at 7 p.m. January 23 at the Chambers at City Center. For tickets to the IN WDSTK event, visit inwdstk.org/events. IN WDSTK investors will receive a complimentary ticket by logging into their account. Guest tickets are $15.
A bulldog that calls Cherokee County home is now the “Best in Show.”
Star, a three-and-a-half-year-old bulldog, earned this honor as the winner of the 22nd American Kennel Club National Championship competition December 18 in Orlando. The show aired on New Year’s Day on ABC.
Star’s owners, the Mason family of Woodstock, Alaina Moulton of Pensacola and Star’s handler, Dennis O’Connor of Glen Rose, Texas, received a $50,000 check, while Star was named “Best in Show” against 5,300 other dogs. This was Star’s first time competing in this show. This was also the first time a bulldog has ever won this AKC National Championship. As part of the competition, Star and the other dogs were judged “on a standard of what that dog or breed should look like. Star travels with her handler, Dennis O’Connor, to compete in these competitions, winning 18 “best in show” titles so far, including the AKC show. Star and O’Connor work together before shows to prepare for upcoming competitions. Some of the shows that Star competes in are against bulldogs, while others such as the AKC National Championship are against dogs of all breeds. When the time comes to settle down into retirement, Natalie Mason said Star will come home and live with the Mason family permanently in Woodstock.
A Canton man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of molesting a child, the Cherokee County District Attorney's office announced.
David Blackburn of Canton, was found guilty of child molestation and cruelty to children in the first degree.
Senior Judge Jack Partain sentenced Blackburn on October 6 to 20 years, with the first 10 years to be served in confinement and the remainder to be served on probation.
According to the district attorney's office, Canton police began investigating Blackburn in December 2019 after a child reported that she was being sexually abused by a member of her family. In a forensic interview at the Anna Crawford Children’s Center, the child provided detailed accounts of acts of sexual abuse that occurred from 2014 through 2019. “For years, this child tried to tell individuals in her life that Mr. Blackburn was touching her in inappropriate and sexual ways. Instead of believing her, they insisted that she was mistaken and confused about his intentions,” said Assistant District Attorney Rachel Hines of the Special Victims Unit, who prosecuted the case. “This case divided a family and forced a child to choose between telling the truth or lying to appease family members. The victim in this case showed amazing strength throughout the investigation and prosecution of this crime.”
At the conclusion of the four-day trial, the jury convicted Blackburn of three counts of child molestation and one count of cruelty to children in the first degree.
Woodstock resident Barry Pencek is holding a book signing in Acworth today on his memoir of a 1970 top-secret raid in Laos.
"Operation Tailwind: Memoirs of a Secret Battle in a Secret War" is a memoir of a top-secret raid in Laos conducted in 1970 in support of a CIA operation there. The book takes the reader from the jungles of Laos to the boardrooms of CNN, to the East Room of the White House. The book signing is at 1 p.m. this afternoon at Acworth Bookstore & Coffee Shop. For more information about the "Operation Tailwind" memoir, visit Barry Pencek dot com.
A new women’s soccer team will be competing in Canton this spring and summer, with the Georgia Impact set to play its inaugural game in the Women’s Premier Soccer League in May.
The WPSL, comprised of college players seeking a playing outlet before their college seasons begin in the fall, features more than 135 teams in 35 states across the country. The Georgia Impact will compete in the Southeast division with Alabama FC, Chattanooga FC, Nashville Rhythm FC, North Alabama SC and TN Force FC.
The National Premier Soccer League, the WPSL’s counterpart for men’s players, expanded into the area last year with Apotheos FC, which played its games at North Cobb Christian School in Kennesaw. Georgia Impact will host its five matches at Tommy Baker Field on the Cherokee High School campus.
#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews
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