VALDOSTA —
Representatives from 16 Hispanic churches and several other Latino organizations held a concert and a health fair at John W. Saunders Memorial Park Saturday afternoon, as organizers had a chance to showcase positive strides in Valdosta’s Hispanic community.
The bubbly sounds of banda music, Latin pop and folk music entertained patrons for a solid four-hour block, which kicked off at 2 p.m. in the park. The event was free and open to the public.
Event organizer and VSU professor Dr. Miryam Espinosa said that the event was made possible by a grant that CEPTA (Clinic for Education, Treatment and Prevention of Addiction), a Georgia-based bilingual support group of behavioral scientists, received from the Georgia Department of Health. The purpose of the CEPTA grant is for the prevention of alcoholism in the Hispanic community, said Dr. Espinosa.
She said that the
Saunders Park concert was a great opportunity to poll
the community for incidences of both adult and minor consumption of alcohol among Valdosta’s Hispanic population.
“The goal is to build a strong Hispanic community in a healthy environment,” Dr. Espinosa. “I’m really looking forward to working on this project. There are a lot of young people who just want to be happy.”
Blood pressures and health checks were performed at a booth occupied by the Migrant Farm Workers Clinic of Lake Park and surveys of alcohol consumption were filled out at Dr. Espinosa’s booth.
Telamon, a non-profit organization that offers on-the-job training to farm workers, and the Literacy Volunteer Program, a 30-volunteer strong non-profit that tutors students in math and English, were on hand to pass out brochures, register patrons for upcoming events and sign up citizens for classes.
All of the organizations that came out to the park said the event was just the beginning. Representatives from Telamon and the Literacy Volunteer Program said the two organizations will be collaborating with VSU and Wiregrass to host a larger fundraiser and concert in the fall, on Oct. 5. A bowling fundraiser is planned for Sept. 15, according to Charlie Oliver, the Literacy Volunteer Program’s representative.
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