TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Cherokee Nation officials announced that it has reached a major milestone in its Cherry Tree G.R.O.W. project focusing on community revitalization for the predominantly Cherokee Nation citizen community in rural Adair County.
“Cherry Tree is a proud Cherokee community established generations ago by Cherokee Nation citizens and leaders,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. "What Cherokee G.R.O.W. represents is an effort to inject not only housing and infrastructure improvements but also harnessing the community spirit that is alive and well there so that the community can grow and improve for generations to come.”
The Cherry Tree community was planned and constructed by Cherokee Nation during the period of the 1960s to early 1980s, located a few miles south of Stilwell.
Cherry Tree is an unincorporated community. Though the housing in the community was originally constructed by the tribe’s housing authority, the properties are substantially all owned by residents, totaling less than 150. Yet, Cherry Tree is also the home to more than three dozen Cherokee first language speaking homes.
Nation officials say that in the last few decades housing conditions and home values have decreased as concerns about public safety have increased. Facilities once used as public gathering places, such as a community building and ball fields, have fallen into disrepair.
In 2025 Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner tapped funds made available under the tribe’s Public Health and Wellness Fund Act (PHWFA) to inject $9.4 million to improve housing and community infrastructure, launching the “Cherry Tree G.R.O.W,” an acronym for Giving Rise to Opportunity and Wellness.
“Our experience making major investments in small communities like Kenwood and Marble City made it clear to us that Cherokee Nation can and should work with our rural communities to ensure that their best days lay ahead,” said Deputy Chief Warner. “There is no reason to think Cherry Tree cannot succeed, so long the investment is strategic and so long as we work with the community to make improvements.”
Under the Cherry Tree G.R.O.W. plan, a pilot project, each home within a newly defined Cherry Tree community receives up to $50,000 in housing rehab. Funding will also be used to improve streets, sidewalks as well as other infrastructure and services. The initial goal was to engage 70% or 91 homes in the area, but today, more than 105 households have agreed to participate in the project. In May the tribe’s completed rehabilitation work on the 25th home, putting the project ahead of schedule.
Homeowners who agree to participate agree to maintain safe housing conditions under agreements with the Cherokee Nation Housing Authority. Each community member has an opportunity to be a member of a new Cherry Tree Community organization to encourage unity and participation across the community through the tribe’s Community and Cultural Outreach program.
“Community organizing is the key to all of this,” said Cherokee Nation Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan. “Housing improvements and community infrastructure can only be sustainable if we have community buy in and community pride, and we have all of that here in Cherry Tree.”
Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner placed the Hoskin/Warner Administration’s Senior Advisor, Todd Enlow, in charge of the project.
“The community of Cherry Tree has so many stories that are woven into Cherokee history, said Enlow. “Today, it is inspiring to see community members engaging in conversations, laughing and celebrating together. That sense of community and connection has been rooted in the community, but the Cherry Tree G.R.O.W. project has lit up the faces and eyes of long-term residents as well as the next generation of Cherokees. This truly is an investment in our people.”
Cherry Tree G.R.O.W also includes plans for a new community building, ballfield and micropark, developed through a series of community meetings. Additional public safety amenities, including better lighting and more law enforcement patrols, were also recommended by community members.
Janice Proctor, a Cherokee speaker and Cherry Tree resident, had work done by the Cherokee Nation on her porch and floors, and the tribe is also installing a chain link fence in her yard.
“I’m so happy for the Cherokee Nation to come in and help us with our homes. I know that many others in Cherry Tree are proud of the Cherokee Nation for stepping in because there are many things’ people in our community would not be able to afford to fix. Some of us have leaks and other wear-and-tear issues in our homes, but we can rest easy knowing the tribe is offering the help we need to feel safe and comfortable in our homes,” Proctor said.
The project, including the community building, park, ballfield and housing improvements are expected to be complete by late 2027.
“The Cherry Tree G.R.O.W. initiative is another example of our Administration and Council coming together to assist strong Cherokee communities, like Cherry Tree, to have the opportunity to improve their community and homeowner infrastructure. From our youth to our elders, this is a great program for everyone,” District 7 Councilor Joshua Sam said.
Cherry Tree is also situated in one of the tribe’s new “Opportunity Zones” to encourage private small business investment and job creation through which the tribe has made millions of dollars in loans available to entrepreneurs. The community is served by the Cherry Tree rural water district, which has received over $7 million in investment from Cherokee Nation since 2019.
“Success in Cherry Tree is a worthy goal in and of itself,” said Chief Hoskin. “But what we are also striving for is a model that we can replicate in other communities in need of revitalization, and I think we will achieve that with Cherry Tree G.R.O.W.”