TIFTON — After a century of supporting the Tiftarea, the Frank and Solomon Nixon Funeral Home is celebrating its anniversary through continued service to the community.

The 100-year old African-American family-owned business, the oldest of its kind in the county, kicked off its anniversary celebration this past weekend with an event intended to enrich, inform, and educate the local community.

Tiftarea residents were encouraged to join the staff of the funeral home and their community partners for a Community Health and Safety Day Saturday morning, taking part in a variety of activities, workshops, and classes focused on family wellness, public safety, and community togetherness.

Solomon Nixon Jr., funeral director and third generation member of the Nixon family that has operated the funeral home, explained that the event was intended to give back to and help inform Tiftarea residents about how to better take care of one another as a means of thanking them for allowing them to become so connected to the community over their century of operation.

“We are just thankful to have been in this community for all these years and have been able to provide service to the community and throughout Southwest Georgia in the manner that we’ve always been able to do,” Nixon said. “We have one model that has been cemented with us through my grandfather, and that’s just being about service to others.”

Various local organizations, such as Southwell, the Tift County Emergency Medical Service, and Tiftarea Psychiatric Counseling Services partnered with the funeral home for the event, either offering their support as sponsors or getting involved in the activities.

Participating residents had the opportunity to take free CPR training, with the option to earn a certification for a fee, receive education on infant and child safety and healthy eating habits, undergo health screenings, and were provided information on mental health and wellness.

The funeral home also offered various prizes throughout the event, including a car seat, an air fryer, and gift cards.

Nixon reported that the community health day was but one of the events he hoped to bring to the community in celebration of the funeral home’s 100th anniversary, and was already working with many of the business’s local partners to plan out future programs. He expressed an intent to organize the Community Health and Safety Day again as well.