LEWISBURG — Saturday was a day for health and wellness and lots of fun at the Evangelical Community Hospital 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 did every year; it was interrupted when COVID happened, so this is the first time we’re trying again,” said Deana Carson, evangelical health educator. “We’ve invited loads of resources for parents in the area to find out what’s out there for them that they might need. We have lots of activities for the kids.”
The event included a bike raffle, a free helmet giveaway, a Kingdom Kidz Puppet Show, basketball activities and pickleball, obstacle courses, photos with the Easter Bunny.
“We really try to make it a fun day about family health and fitness and fun activities,” Carson said. “It seems like everyone is having a good time. We have seen many people with smiling faces pass by.”
Ava Adams, 5, of Watsontown, investigated 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 pieces 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 it.”
Kadylee Bishop, 5, from Selinsgrove, sat to get a free helmet. She and her mother Ashley Woodworth spent nearly two hours at the fair.
“We like the free helmets,” said Woodworth. “I’m interested in looking at Greenway for the outdoor activities and summer camps. We wanted to pet some dogs.”
Kadylee is afraid to ride a bike, 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 several hundred helmets had been given away by 11:30 a.m. In addition to fitting, the educators also provided safety tips.
“It’s great to see everyone in attendance,” she said. “It has been super busy handing out the helmets.”
Tyler and Ann Marrie Woerthner, of Middleburg, brought their children to the event.
“There’s a lot of great information for my daughter to learn about,” said Tyler Woerthner.
Kendra Aucker, the CEO of Evangelical, said the event is great for parents to come with their kids and find information.
“Evangelical and the Miller Center are happy to provide such events for the community,” she said.