Leisure Services Administrator Mike Jefferis serving cake to the hungry masses.
BY ALLEN A. BUCHANAN, Staff Writer
ST. PETERSBURG – More than 200 residents showed up last Saturday to celebrate Enoch Davis Center’s 37th year of serving the community.
Eventgoers enjoyed free personal care goodie bags, massages, nail care, blood pressure and diabetes checks, vision and hearing screenings, haircut vouchers, food, games, prizes and more.
From spinal acupuncture to signing up for courses at St. Petersburg College (SPC), more than 20 vendors were on hand to pitch their services. One of the unique features about the annual celebrations is the array of businesses, organizations and human services groups that participate.
Madison Francis of Farkas Chiropractic Clinic
For instance, Madison Francis of Farkas Chiropractic Clinic was on hand offering complimentary spinal screenings, which was about a 30-second process where she scanned a person’s cervical spine (neck).
Any misalignment of the spine, Francis stated, could cause disruptions of signals passing through the spine to other parts of the body. She said chiropractic care helps to remove the signal inference and allows the body to “heal naturally.”
Using a computer-based scanner to detect for any spinal abnormalities, Francis said Farkas Chiropractic Clinic touts the natural benefits of chiropractic care.
Stylist and Hair Replacement Specialist, Ife’ Davis, is the director of the Silver Lining Hope Foundation, which partners with her Silver Lining Beauty & Hair Loss Center. The foundation is her way of giving back to the community.
“We’ve had the opportunity to work with organizations such as CASA, Grandparents Raising Children, and we’ve done different school events where we’ve given haircuts and book bags…”
Davis and her entourage occupied an entire activity room at the anniversary celebration. She and her volunteers gave away free haircuts, hair care treatments and consultation.
On the education front, La’Kesha O’Neal, community relations coordinator and college recruiter at SPC, said she talked to several older people interested in returning to school to pursue something they previously started or showed interest in something totally new.
“It was good to see that even though they were more mature that they felt they could still pursue an opportunity here at St. Petersburg College,” she said.
O’Neal stated that people are being drawn to the new Programmable Logic Controllers program called “Mechatronics,” which is a multidisciplinary field of engineering.
People who work in Mechatronics fix and program machines in a variety of industries such as manufacturing and healthcare. O’Neal noted that there is a growing need for technicians in this field.
SPC is offering a course in Mechatronics starting in Jan. The course is paid for through a foundation grant, so the lucky students chosen to participate will be able to take the six-week course for free.
Campbell Park Resource Center representative Cynthia Smith provides a holistic range of services that directly impact members of the community in their everyday lives. Their resource center is sponsored by the United Way, Duke Energy and the City of St. Pete.
Smith informed residents about legal services, financial family support and employment services the centers provides, including free preparation of taxes.
The Enoch Davis Center celebrated its actual anniversary on Sept. 13. Built in 1981, it is named after Rev. Enoch D. Davis, a longtime activist and civic leader with a mission to make the community a great place to live.
Leisure Services Administrator Mike Jefferis and the center’s supervisor Lynette S. Buchanan somehow cut a piece of cake for everyone wanting to indulge in the sweet stuff.
The Enoch Davis Center serves as a multiservice center, housing human services agencies, legal services, social services, multipurpose rooms and other amenities. Citizens of all ages and races once again gathered to pay homage to the standing legacy of Rev. Enoch Davis.
About the Parks and Recreation Department
The St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department is nationally accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, and with 17 recreation facilities, nine swimming pools, over 150 parks and more than 70 athletic fields, the department makes it a mission to preserve and enhance the city’s parklands and recreational facilities and engage the community in leisure activities.
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