On Saturday morning, Public Safety Officers, Sheriff's Deputies and Fire responded to a call to the Housing Authority playground between Broughton and Water Street.  It was a good thing.  They joined several hundred people for a Family Fun Day.

The NYC (NAACP Youth Council) members provided music and entertainment for the morning. Tevin Akins, Courtney Chavers, Denika Williams and Chantoria Clayton along with advisor Charlotte Howard and Natalie Howard.

This was the first Community Family Fun Day sponsored by Decatur County Family Connection.  As with anything Family Connection does, it was a great success and made possible only by its community partners.

 
Building better relationships with a part of our community that often goes unnoticed was the purpose of the event.

Several Decatur County Sheriff's Deputies were making new friends.

On left, Investigator Julian Crowder and his new friend.
Below is Public Safety Assistant Fire Chief Doyle Welch showing his new friend the fire truck. 


A variety of activities kept everyone busy.

Staff from the Decatur County Gilbert H. Gragg Library read to the children and handed out children's books.


Games, entertainment, health screening, information on counseling services, refreshments and a really big dog. 

McGruff, aka Nicholas Wimberley,  made lots of new friends thanks to the help of Bainbridge Public Safety Trainning Officer Ryan Wimberley. They also provided bags of information and goodies for the kids.

The Bainbridge Housing Authority provided most of the prizes for the day as well as manpower. They and Family Connection are already planning the next community event.



Bainbridge College ADN faculty and student volunteers were busy with height, weight, vision and blood pressure screening.

Approximately 200 adults and children took advantage of the service and made new friends along the way.

Representatives from Angel Food Ministries, Keep Decatur County Beautiful, Samaritian Counceling Center and Family Connection Collaborative were available with information.

This was a day when the community truely came together to build trust and relationships.

Some went above the call of duty as Deputy Ramsey Simmons and KDCB Executive Director Suzanne Brandt had fun with the kids dancing while Charlotte Howard, far right, tries to figure out what they are doing.

(added, Even Sue got into the act demonstrating the hoola hoop.-LS)

None of this would have been possible without the help of the many Family Connection partners, Bainbridge Housing Authority, NYC (NAACP Youth Council), Banbridge College ADN students, Georgia Pines Decatur-Seminole Service Center-Darnell Holley, Decatur County Gilbert H. Gragg Library, Bainbridge Public Safety, Decatur County Sheriff's Office, Department of Juvenile Justice, CATS for Youth, Bainbridge Kiwanis Club, Hutto Builders Club, Samaritan Counseling Center, Keep Decatur County Beautiful, LIFE, Decatur County Communities In Schools, Decatur County Board of Education and Farm Credit.

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