EATONVILLE, Fla. —
Stronger together, safer together. That’s the mission behind National Night Out in historic Eatonville.
“A huge thank you and huge shout out to none other than the illustrious Eatonville Police Department. Thank you and welcome,” said Eatonville Mayor Ruth “Ruthi” Critton.
It’s about getting to know the officers who serve the community.
“So the kids won’t be scared of the police, growing up to let kids know police are our friends. They’re here for us,” Eatonville Resident Donest Brimmer said.
There was fun for the whole family, including a portable video game station, face painting, food and, oh yes, the incredible bounce house.
“It’s an opportunity just to say ‘thank you’ for all that we did in a year, and then at the same time if they just want to talk to me informally about concerns, now they can kind of catch me a little bit more in an atmosphere we just kind of relate. I’m just excited,” said Eatonville Police Chief Stanley Murray.
How about dunking an officer?
Cpl. Robert Jones sure took the plunge, with a helping hand from WESH 2’s Gail Paschall-Brown.
“Juliah got it the first time and I’m going to try it this time. Let’s see what happens,” Paschall-Brown said before tossing a ball at Jones’ dunk tank, missing, and then pressing the button instead.
“Forget about it!” she said, and splash goes Cpl. Jones!
This is also an opportunity for Eatonville to come together.
There’s an upcoming health fair on Nov. 7.
Melisa Wilson of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. explained, “We’ll have food, we’ll have health seminars on hypertension, stress, menopause and weight loss.”
There’s also Polo Mentoring available for youth ages 8 to 18 in Apopka.
“The purpose is to help them find their selves, to stay on the right path and make the right choices in life,” Mel Bolden explained.
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, summed it all up.
“You know, everybody’s out here — first responders, city council members, candidates, organizations — and it just shows all the amazing services,” he said.