LEWISBURG — Saturday was a day for health and wellness and a lot of fun at Evangelical Community Hospital’s Children’s Health Fair.
The event, held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Miller Center, 120 Hardwood Drive, Lewisburg, encouraged families to practice healthy habits. Thirty-five organizations were represented and provided dozens of activities for children.
“Our Children’s Health Fair was something we used to do every year; it got interrupted when COVID happened, so this is the first time we’re trying it again,” said Evangelical Health Educator Deana Carson. “We invited a ton of area resources for parents to find out what’s out there for them that they might need. We have a ton of activities for the kids.”
The event featured a bicycle raffle, a free giveaway of helmets, a Kingdom Kidz Puppet Show, basketball activities and pickleball, obstacle courses, pictures with the Easter Bunny.
“We really try to make it a fun day about family health and fitness and fun activities,” said Carson. “It seems like everyone is having a great time. We’ve had a lot of people come through with smiling faces.”
Ava Adams, 5, of Watsontown, explored the blood demonstration at the Lewisburg Children’s Museum table. The red blood cells were represented by water beads, white blood cells were represented by ping pong balls, the platelets were represented by small bits of styrofoam and plasma was represented by water.
“I like it,” said Ava’s grandmother Colette Hickman. “It’s a lot of fun. We did yoga class and we enjoyed that.”
Kadylee Bishop, 5, of Selinsgrove, sat to be fitted for a free helmet. She and her mother Ashley Woodworth spent nearly two hours at the fair.
“We love the free helmets,” said Woodworth. “I’m interested in looking at Greenway for the outdoor activities, and the summer camps. We wanted to pet some dogs.”
Kadylee is scared of riding bicycles, but she will use the helmet to ride her scooter, she said.
Elissa Veldhuis, an educator with Evangelical’s Community Health and Wellness Department, said a couple of hundred helmets were given away by 11:30 a.m. In addition to fitting, the educators also provided safety tips.
“It’s great to see everyone attend,” she said. “It’s been super busy with passing out the helmets.”
Tyler and Ann Marrie Woerthner, of Middleburg, brought their children to the event.
“There’s a lot of great information that my daughter can learn about,” said Tyler Woerthner.
Kendra Aucker, the CEO of Evangelical, said the event is great for parents to come with their kids and seek information.
“Evangelical and the Miller Center are happy to offer events like these for the community,” she said.