Community Connections and Joan Canton Way Road Naming Celebration

On Saturday, August 28, 2021, SWAG paid tribute to our visionary, Joan Canton. The day’s celebrations started with a Road Naming Ceremony in her honor, followed by a Community Connections resource fair. The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to name a portion of 8th Avenue Joan Canton Way in May 2021. Then, the County was able to reveal and open the finished road a few months later. Be sure to watch the TV20 news segment covering this special day!

Joan Canton Way Road Naming Ceremony

The ceremony began with a group walk along the new section of 8th Avenue now known as Joan Canton Way. Then, the speakers delivered their messages to a seated audience in front of the SWAG Family Resource Center. SWAG board members Dorothy Thomas and Dorothy Benson spoke, along with Alachua County Commission Chair Ken Cornell and representatives from Joan’s family. The ceremony also featured the unveiling of the new road sign next to the SWAG Family Resource Center that now labels Joan Canton Way.

Everything that has been built in the community to serve the residents here is because of the vision Joan had for her community.
Dorothy Benson, SWAG Board Chair

Community Connections Resource Fair

After the Road Naming Ceremony, the festivities moved to the block of 8th Avenue between SW 64th Terrace and Squire Drive. Nineteen community partners set up tents on either side of the closed-off road. One of these partners was the UF Mobile Outreach Clinic, which offered COVID-19 vaccines with Publix gift cards for those who received a dose. Community members who attended received a ‘bingo’ card that they filled in by visiting the resource booths. Then, at the end of the event, we raffled off gift cards to those who completed their cards. SWAG board members and volunteers also staffed masking and sanitizing stations at either end of the block. In addition, we served hamburgers and hot dogs for a grab-and-go lunch.

A community member visits a booth by the Alachua County Department of Health at the 2021 SWAG Community Connections celebration

A young child smiles widely as she reaches the bottom of a blue slide on the playground by the SWAG Family Resource Center

Two representatives with Keep Alachua County Beautiful in their booth at SWAG’s 2021 Community Connections Celebration

Two of SWAG’s community partners talk to each other during the Community Connections Celebration resource fair

An adult and a child visit a booth at the 2021 Community Connections Resource Fair. The child looks at a photo display.

SWAG board members and other volunteers staff a masking and sanitizing station at the Community Connections resource fair

A community member visits a booth by Partnership for Strong Families at the 2021 SWAG Community Connections resource fair.

A SWAG volunteer wheels a sign advertising the free COVID-vaccine mobile clinic

Alachua BoCC Vice Chair Marihelen Wheeler stands with the county staff member running a resource booth for Cuscowilla

A Cade Museum staff member gives two thumbs-up at the Cade booth during the Community Connections Resource Fair

A young child prepares herself to go down the slide on the playground next to the SWAG Family Resource Center

A community member visits a booth for the Cade Museum during the 2021 Community Connections resource fair

Two SWAG Board members staff a masking and sanitizing station at the Community Connections resource fair

A community member visits the Alachua County Department of Health booth at the Community Connections resource fair

SWAG Board Member Mona Sayedul Huq stands with Family Resource Center staff Shandra Nichols and Robin Wilkerson

Joan Canton's sister Eloise Edwards speaks to TV20 News

The team cooking hamburgers and hotdogs for the Community Connections resource fair

We want to extend a huge thank-you to our community partners who set up booths at the resource fair. These organizations included the following:

Two Alachua County employees staff a booth for the County’s Department of Social Services at the Community Connections Celebration

A County staff member runs a booth for Alachua County Housing during the Community Connections resource fair

A County employee staffs an Alachua County Veteran Services booth at the SWAG Community Connections resource fair

Two Cade Museum staff give two thumbs-up at their booth during the Community Connections resource fair.

Two representatives from the Community Weatherization Coalition staff a booth during the Community Connections resource fair

A County staff member stands behind a photo display in a Cuscowilla booth for during the Community Connections Celebration

Two community partners staff a booth for Episcopal Children’s Services at the 2021 Community Connections resource fair

Two representatives from Keep Alachua County Beautiful staff a booth at the Community Connections resource fair

A Meridian Behavioral Healthcare employee staffs a resource booth during the Community Connections Celebration

A team of representatives from Partnership for Strong Families stand together at the Community Connections Celebration

A Peaceful Paths employee staffs a booth at the Community Connections Celebration resource fair

Three representatives of the Regional Minority AIDS Program Coordinator run a booth at the Community Connections Celebration

Two Department of Health employees staff a DOH booth at the SWAG Community Connections resource fair

Two representatives from Three Rivers Legal Services stand at their booth during the Community Connections resource fair

SWAG Board Member Dorothy Thomas stands with the staff and volunteers of the UF Mobile Outreach Clinic

A team of representatives from the United Way stand together in a booth at the Community Connections Celebration

Two WellCare Health Plans staff stand in front of their resource booth during the Community Connections Celebration

A Department of Health employee staffs a WIC booth at the SWAG Community Connections resource fair