Chambliss Center for Children is launching a capital campaign to revitalize its facilities.
The organization designed the fundraiser to address critical updates to its aging facilities and enable it to continue to provide child care, early childhood education, foster care, transitional living for teens and temporary housing for children entering the foster care system.
Chambliss Center’s current buildings on its main campus in Brainerd date back to 1939 and comprise a total of 134,000 square feet.
The organization has adapted these facilities over the years to meet the evolving needs of the children and families it serves. However, after decades of use, these buildings are showing their age and are hindering the full potential of the services Chambliss Center provides, the organization states in a news release.
The campaign will focus on critical repairs, upgrades and renovations to Chambliss Center’s various facilities.
Contact Emily Barrow at 423 468-1139 or esbarrow@chamblisscenter.org to learn more about the campaign. Donate at ChamblissCenter.org/CapitalCampaign.
CPD launches policy dashboard
The Chattanooga Police Department is inviting community members to view its policies online.
“This initiative is about providing our community members with direct access to the policies that guide our actions,” the CPD declares in a news release. “We base our policies on policing best practices, review of national and state laws, evolving community and societal needs and other components.”
The dashboard is available at www.chattanooga.gov/government/police.
The website will be updated as CPD’s Policy Review Committee and Chief of Police John Chambers review and approve new policies.
“As your chief, I’m committed to enhancing transparency and ensuring our department remains adaptable to the needs of our community,” says Chambers. “This initiative is one example of our dedication to serving with integrity and accountability.”
Stadium Corporation releases Finley report
In its first annual report since its formation in 1997, The Stadium Corporation noted significant investment in 27-year-old Finley Stadium.
The corporation will use funds the Chattanooga City Council and Hamilton County Commission provided in 2024 to install LED stadium lights at Finley and modernize the stadium’s elevators. Both projects are scheduled to begin in early 2025.
The LED lighting project will bring Finley up to current and future lighting standards and provide enhanced illumination for concerts, football and soccer games, and televised events, notes Stadium Corporation in a news release.
Stadium Corporation is also planning renovations to the western end of the facility. Once complete, the space will feature modernized locker facilities with ancillary spaces for major events, built-in concert infrastructure, a 365-pedestrian plaza between Finley and the pavilion and permanent food and beverage installations overlooking the field.
More than 500 events occurred last year on the campus and in excess of 450,000 visitors came to Finley to support Chattanooga Mocs football, Chattanooga FC matches, visit the Chattanooga Market, or attend an event at the First Horizon Pavilion.
In 2024, Stadium Corporation welcomed significant investment by Tri-Star Beverage as it opened the doors to the Ultra Club, which is located inside the main entrance to the stadium.
Since 2021, Finley has served as host to the BlueCross Bowl. With 18,149 fans in the stands in 2023, the Baylor and McCallie game was the highest attended high school football game in state history.
Stadium Corporation Board Chairman Mike Davis says the additions of Ice on the Landing, Main Street Farmer’s Market and Pickleball in the Pavilion have made Finley a “365 operation.”
“As we begin our 27th year, we see a community organization filling a role for Chattanooga that has been well worth a generational investment,” David states.
The Stadium Corporation operates various sports stadiums across the U.S.
Erlanger Foundation, Erlanger merge
Erlanger Foundation and Erlanger Health are merged. As part of the merger, the foundation will transition from operating as a separate 501(c)(3) with its own governing board to becoming the Office of Development within Erlanger. This decision reflects a commitment to aligning efforts and resources, according to a news release by Erlanger.
Also as part of the merger, Erlanger has selected Emily Niespodziany to serve as vice president and chief development officer. Niespodziany most recently served as executive director of the American Heart Association for the Greater Chattanooga and Georgia regions.
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