South Shore Child Guidance Center hosts first Spring Fling

Upon entering Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, children of ages 5 and older were seen dancing rhythmically to “The Cha Cha Slide,” while parents and employees of the South Shore Child Guidance Center leisurely chatted during the South Shore Child Guidance Center’s first Spring Fling on April 29.

The event kicked off with a two-mile walk benefitting behavioral health services for children 5 and older. According to Tom Hopkins, president and CEO of South Shore Child Guidance Center, the intent behind the walk was to continue to support the mission of building a better quality of life for children and families.

“It’s a fun kind of event for us. We have been serving the Freeport community for 63 years, and this is the first walk we’ve had,” Hopkins said.

Free health information was available for parents, while the children were excited to dig through a vast collection of books that they could take home for free. Other children lined up to get their faces painted, while still others opted to “Nae Nae,” a popular dance to rap artist, Silento’s, song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).”

“We came today because our daughter really wanted to come out, so we came,” said Freeport dad Melvin Castro in his native Spanish.

Throughout the year, the SSCGC, at 91 Guy Lombardo Ave., works as an outpatient mental health clinic serving children and families in Freeport and the greater Nassau County community. Each month, the center supports more than 1,000 children from preschool age to 18 years old. Hosting the Spring Fling was an effort to inject the organization into the community and raise awareness of the services that it offers.

“I think we are one of the best-kept secrets in Freeport. We’ve been helping kids, adolescents and families for generations, and not a lot of people know about us,” Hopkins said. “We want to change that. We want to get our name out there, and today we have a lot of great support. Next year we will be back again with twice as many people.”