In advance of the upcoming school year, the Coleman Center for Families and Children and Petal First Baptist Church are giving residents the opportunity to get a health rundown, school information, and supplies at the annual Petal Family Health & Resource Fair.
The fair, which is free to all Petal School District students and their parents, will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 29 at Petal First Baptist Church, 992 Mississippi 42 in Petal. Attendees can take advantage of free vision, hearing, dental and speech screenings.
“It’s our role to be servants, and we’re trying to serve our community, so partnering with Petal First Baptist Church gives us an opportunity to do that,” said Dede Smith, director of the Coleman Center for Families and Children, which is part of the Petal School District. “We talk about what our cornerstones are, and collaboration and partnering and integrating community services are some of the most important.
“So we’re here to serve, and these resources are needed. And it just gives us a great kickoff for the school year.”
The health fair will also offer free, professional haircuts and manicures, along with Parents as Teachers and the Dolly Parton Library.
Several informative booths will be set up around the church, and parents will be given a punch card to check off the number of booths they visit. After stopping by a certain number of booths, attendees will be able to receive uniforms, shoes, backpacks, car seats and other supplies at the end of the event.
Children must be present with their parent or guardian with identification, and certain resources are available for Kindergarten through 6th-graders only.
PETAL READS
In addition, the health fair will serve as the kickoff for Petal Reads, which is an Excel By 5 initiative held before the start of the school year.
“Pete the Cat will be there, and while supplies last, children can receive a book to take home,” Smith said. “So that’s another fun thing that will be going on, starting that day.”
Although the fair is usually held the week before school starts, officials are beginning this year’s fair earlier in the summer – as well as earlier in the day – to give teachers and administrators an opportunity to serve as guides during the event.
“For the last several weeks, and on into the next couple of weeks, there will be training for individuals who would be interested in being a guide,” Smith said. “There will be training at First Baptist Church, and (guides) will be assigned to families, and they will go around with those families and help them find the screenings and the different resources that they may need.
“We will have some lunches (at the health fair) from the school district’s food services, but we won’t be doing more than the lunch meal.”
Anyone interested in being a guide can get more information by calling the Coleman Center at (601) 584-4704 or Petal First Baptist Church at (601) 545-3198.
