15th annual Hoochie on the Coochie

 

2009 Hoochie on the Coochie


Banner Year for Conservation in Georgia

Nearly 500 people gathered at Tophat Soccer Fields in Atlanta on April 24, 2009, to attend the 15th annual Hoochie on the Coochie dinner dance. 

The event raised $285,000 to support conservation efforts througout Georgia.

More than $40,000 was raised during the silent auction, which featured a two-week fishing trip to Argentina and a relaxing retreat to Little St. Simons Island, Georgia.

The Coca-Cola Company and Cox Enterprises
Coca-Cola and Cox Enterprises are the Presenting Sponsors of the 15th annual Hoochie on the Coochie.

Click here to see a full list of event sponsors.

 
Georgia Trustees Martin Freedland (left) and John Sherrill.

John Sherrill
A Conservation Leader

This year’s event will honor John (above, right) and Susie Sherrill and celebrate John's 20 years of service to the Conservancy.

"We have been and continue to be successful, and I am very proud to have been involved in many exciting conservation projects that benefit the citizens of our state,” John said.

Fellow board member and long-time friend Martin Feedland (above, left) said he admires John as a leader.

"John has served as a trustee and former chairman for the Georgia program, and much of what the organization has accomplished can be attributed to John,” Martin said.

Chattahoochee River, the namesake of the Georgia program's annual fundraiser. ©Tom Wilson

Saving Georgia’s forests, rivers and coast for future generations requires vision, dedication and the support of people across Georgia. It is this commitment to conservation that led to the creation of a legendary event that has raised close to $3 million for conservation: the Hoochie on the Coochie, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia’s annual fundraiser.

In the Beginning

Fifteen years ago, long-time supporter Dean DuBose Smith proposed an event to help fund the Conservancy’s work in Georgia. And her ideas didn’t stop there. She suggested the name Hoochie on the Coochie, borrowing it from a party her brother hosted in his bachelor days. Dean offered her property as a location for the inaugural event, and a legend was born.

Over the years, the party has been held at several unique locations including the Governor’s mansion, Piedmont Park and at the home of Inman and Tricia Allen, son and daughter-in-law of former Atlanta mayor Ivan Allen Jr.

This unique event has received notoriety beyond its local roots. The Hoochie became known across the country when it was referenced as a question in the popular Trivial Pursuit game.

Attending the Hoochie is an experience not soon forgotten. The thousands of supporters who have dined and danced the night away over the years all did so knowing they were helping safeguard Georgia’s natural heritage, reaching new heights in conservation including:
 

  • protecting more than 275,000 acres across the state including thousands of acres of longleaf pine forest and five of Georgia's barrier islands,
     
  • conducting vital freshwater research that is restoring habitat for the endangered shortnose sturgeon in the Savannah River and helping conserve water in the Flint River basin, and
     
  • creating partnerships with a range of non-profits, government agencies, communities and individuals to maximize conservation successes across the state.



 

Nature picture credits: Photo © Tom Wilson (Chattahoochee River); Photo © Colby Kidd (Martin Freedland, left, and John Sherrill)