RICHMOND COUNTY — The town of Dobbins Heights hosted its 15th annual Community Safe Celebration, providing community members with resources, free haircuts, school supplies, educational materials on drugs and alcohol, and family-friendly activities.
“We make it a fun event for the family. From zero to 100, or over. We want everyone to be included,” organizer Shirlyn Morrison-Sims said.
The event also featured a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, free entertainment and door prizes.
Morrison-Sims said the event is about bringing the community together while showing children and adults they can have fun without drugs or alcohol.
“That coming together as a community, we can empower our children with education and we can come out as a family and have a good time,” Morrison-Sims said. “To assure children and adults that you can have a good time without drinking or using any type of drugs by clean fun.”
Morrison-Sims said the event has continued to grow and credited sponsors and community members for making it possible.
“It keeps growing— I’m very happy!” Morrison-Sims said. “One thing I would like to say, and that’s about my sponsors. I could not do this without the help of the community. All my sponsors have come in and just pulled it together— and all this is done with the sponsors and people in the community.”
“This is what we can do when we come together as a community,” Morrison-Sims said. “You see parents, grandparents, grandchildren happy with a smile on their faces. It’s just lovely to see.”
Michael T. Swinney, director of education at One Stop Academy School of Barbering and a Hamlet native, along with his team, provided free haircuts to more than 90 children at the Dobbins Heights Community Center to help students prepare for the new school year.
“Anybody can come. We love it— this is what we do— this missionary work. We love the babies,” Swinney said.
Swinney said he is looking to return in the fall to offer free haircuts to seniors in the community.
Dobbins Heights will host more community events later in the fall and winter, including a Halloween event and its annual tree lighting and sleigh ride.
The town of Hoffman also hosted a Back to School Family Fun Day the same day. The event was initially scheduled for two weeks earlier but was postponed because of the weather.
The event featured free school supplies for children, along with entertainment including bounce houses, a mechanical bull and bingo, as well as gift cards and local vendors.
Councilman Rory Jones and Tori Jones helped organize the event, with a focus on providing resources for students and families and bringing the community together.
“I want all of them to know each other. Just bring them together to play and show them that the community is backing them, showing them love and giving them something to do,” Rory Jones said.
Hoffman’s next community events are scheduled for December, including its annual tree lighting.