Joanne Williams
Editor

(Courtesy photo – Doctors Dennis and Laurie Craft (center) in a recent photo with their office staff. Recently retired is staff member Mary Shook, after 35 years with the center.)

Good health and wellness don’t just happen. Most folks have to work at it.

It’s what Dennis Craft has been doing all his life, especially since he discovered chiropractic medicine and made it his business and practice.

Craft, celebrating 40 years of Craft Chiropractic Creating Wellness Centers, was first a patient, then studied at the birthplace of chiropractic medicine, Palmer College in Iowa.

He has seen the healing and health benefits of the treatment first-hand, and through the thousands of patients he has seen in his decades of practice.

“Chiropractic medicine as a whole is geared toward health,” Craft said. “Patients stay because of the profound changes in their lives.”

When asked about the longevity of his practice, career and good health, Craft, an avid sportsman, credits staying active, good nutrition and exercise. Those time-honored guidelines, along with the “nervous system optimization” that chiropractic services bring.

“You are never too old to improve your health,” Craft said. 

When Craft first came to Charlotte he and his staff crafted their office out of a building by Candy Ford. The first day they opened, he saw 70 patients.

In 1997 the move to the hill and a new building at 223 Lansing St., eventually led to his practice taking hold in Charlotte, in addition to a handful of other wellness centers.

“The community has been so strong in its support,” Craft said. He and his wife, Laurie, also a doctor of chiropractic medicine, have also given back to the community, from Frontier Days to the Eaton County Senior Center.

Now, Craft is giving back even more, offering a Sunset and Chill party celebrating his 40 years, inviting, friends, former staff, patients and the community. The party is Tuesday, July 14 at 7 p.m. at The Quarry, 3861 E. Clinton Trail, Charlotte. There will be music from Cooper Johnson, and more.

Craft has celebrated other milestones with friends and supporters. He refers to these events as “patient appreciation” and a “thanks to the community.”

What’s ahead? Craft just saw his son graduate high school. “I am still having fun,” he said, “I still feel good.” He hints of more vacation and family time off, especially with the addition of Dr. Carl Zies to the Charlotte staff.

For now, gathering with friends is just what the doctor ordered.