LEWISBURG — Saturday was a day of health and wellness and lots of fun at the Evangelical Community Hospital Child Health Fair.
The event, held from 9 am to noon on 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 Child Health Fair was something we did every year; it was cut short when COVID hit, so this is the first time we are trying again,” said evangelical health educator Deana Carson. “We invite a ton of local resources for parents to find out what they might need. We have a ton of activities for the kids.”
The event featured a bicycle raffle, free helmet distribution, Kingdom Kidz puppet show, basketball and pickleball activities, obstacle courses, photos with the Easter Bunny.
“We really try to make it a fun day for family health, fitness and fun activities,” said Carson. “It looks like everyone is having a great time. We had a lot of people with smiling faces.”
Ava Adams, 5, of Watsontown, explored the blood display on the table at the Lewisburg Children’s Museum. Red blood cells were represented by drops of water, white blood cells were represented by ping-pong balls, platelets were represented by small pieces of Styrofoam, and plasma was represented by water.
“I like that,” said Ava’s grandmother, Colette Hickman. “It’s really fun. We took a yoga class and really enjoyed it.”
Kadylee Bishop, 5, of Selinsgrove, sat down to receive a free helmet. She and her mother Ashley Woodworth spent nearly two hours at the fair.
“We love the free helmets,” Woodworth said. “I’m interested in looking at Greenway for outdoor activities and summer camps. We wanted to pet some dogs.”
Kadylee is afraid to ride a bike, but will wear the helmet to ride a scooter, she said.
Elissa Veldhuis, an educator at the Evangelical Community Health and Welfare Department, said a few hundred helmets were distributed by 11:30 am. In addition to adaptation, educators also provided safety tips.
“It’s great to see everyone participating,” she said. “He’s super busy distributing the helmets.”
Tyler and Ann Marrie Woerthner of Middleburg brought their children to the event.
“There is a lot of great information my daughter can learn,” said Tyler Woerthner.
Kendra Aucker, CEO of Evangelical, said the event is great for parents to come with their kids and seek out information.
“Evangelical and the Miller Center are happy to offer events like these for the community,” she said.