This past weekend I dropped in on two health fairs held along Beatties Ford Road. Attendance at each was strong, but given the health concerns that face our communities, the lines should have been longer.

At Friendship Missionary Baptist Church (photo above), 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte co-sponsored a men’s health symposium along with the church’s Brotherhood, a men’s group.

Donnie Koonce, president of the local 100 Black Men chapter, said the symposium was started three years ago with a grant from Carolinas Medical Center.

The original intent, he said, was to screen for prostate cancer, but each year the group has added new tests and screenings. This year they began screening for glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in the African American community.

With an hour to go, nearly 200 men had gotten tested and screened.

Koonce gave a shout-out to the women who encouraged their men to come or literally brought them there. “Unlike women, “ he said, “we’re a little hesitant to get tested.”

Just up the road, the Zetas of Charlotte were hosting their first annual health fair at the McCrorey YMCA (photo below).

Judene Wright, who chaired the project, said the sorority has set an ambitious goal this year around community service along the Beatties Ford Road corridor. (The local Zeta Phi Beta headquarters is located about a block from the McCrorey Y.) Earlier this year the sorority hosted a forum for Charlotte mayoral candidates.

On November 12, the sorority will host a FREE financial seminar sponsored by Wachovia/Wells Fargo. It’s also planning a January event called Bowling for Babies, which will benefit the March of Dimes. The Charlotte Zeta also will adopt a highway for cleanup and host an Easter egg hunt.

The chapter will celebrate its 75th birthday in December.

See a slideshow from the two events on our News page.