Life Help mental health center will focus on the people and culture of the Philippines at its annual Cultural Diversity Day this week.
The event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the Leflore County Civic Center.
The public is invited.
“It’s not just the staff. It’s the community that gets excited about it,” said Dorothy Robertson, public relations/information manager for Life Help.
Dr. Corazon Aquino, a retired obstetrician/gynecologist from Ruleville, will be one of the featured speakers at the program.
Aquino, 75, a native of the Philippines, previously ran the Family Medical Clinic of Ruleville with her husband, Dr. Adelo Aquino. Dr. Adelo Aquino today serves as the director of the North Sunflower Medical Center, located in Ruleville.
The Aquinos moved to South America in 1971 and then on to New York City, where her husband continued his surgical training.
After that, they moved to Suffolk, Virginia, before settling in Ruleville in 1980.
As part of her presentation, Aquino will be bringing Filipino artifacts with her, including her native wedding gown, Robertson said.
Robertson encourages all attending to bring their own cultural artifacts to the program. Although food will be prepared by employees of Life Help, she said, others can also bring dishes representing their own culture, she said.
The event, which has been going on for more than 20 years, is intended to bring people together, Robertson said.
“It has grown to something that the community expects to happen every year,” Robertson said.
•Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
