Franklin Road Weed & Seed

Franklin Road Weed & Seed (FRWS), located in the City of Marietta/Cobb County, operates as a community-based initiative with a multilevel strategic plan that includes four basic components: law enforcement; community policing; prevention, intervention and treatment; and leveraging of resources.  These components all focus on reducing crime and improving the community along Franklin Road. As a PACE hub, it serves 90 children, 31% of whom are Black/African American and 54% of whom are Hispanic/Latino. 52 of the 90 children receive Light Touch and the rest receive full PAT services.

In 2008, the Early Learning Initiative was launched, in partnership with PACE/United Way, to provide assistance to area families with children 0-5 years old. The Early Learning Initiative includes home visiting, group meetings, school transition activities and parent leadership development, to increase school readiness and long term educational success for the preschool children of the Franklin Road community of Marietta, Georgia.

The Weed and Seed project was implemented to help rebuild and restructure communities that have suffered because of criminal activity and social decay. The program encourages residents to work with law enforcement agencies to deter crime, identify resources and restore the community. The Weed and Seed project also brings federal resources to Marietta to join city police in tackling crime.

The selection of the Franklin Road neighborhood as a Weed and Seed community is the result of a four-year effort by the city of Marietta to produce positive changes for the residents and business owners in the area. The effort began with the establishment of the Franklin Road Task Force and Marietta Weed and Seed committee. The city's relationships with the community in fighting crime were also a factor in Marietta being awarded the 2006 All-America City award. Marietta is the first Georgia city in 30 years to win the award.