“It’s still winter, a lot of people don’t go outside as often, and some people are dealing with seasonal depression, but we want people to know that there are ways to combat it,” said Veronika Patty, prevention coordinator with the Department of Health in Gardner.
The first Greater Gardner Health and Wellness Fair will be held in the Perry Auditorium at Gardner City Hall on Wednesday, April 12th. general well-being – including physical, spiritual and emotional health – just in time for the arrival of spring.
“So we decided to bring together all the local resources, organizations and businesses that promote wellness and bring them together for a single fair,” explained Patty, adding that her team had experience organizing events across the community, as were the organizers of the National Night Out event in town each summer.
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Health fair designed to appeal to all ages
The health fair, which organizers hope will become an annual community tradition, is designed to attract residents of all ages, Patty said.
“It’s for the general public, family – it’s definitely for the whole community,” Patty said, adding that the Council on Aging’s annual health fair, usually held in the fall, was geared more toward seniors.
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The event was designed to be as interactive as possible, Patty said, with live demos every half hour on various topics scheduled to take place throughout the day. Fitness classes, self-defense courses, walking tips and line dancing instruction are among the live demonstrations attendees can expect at the fair.
“We’re going to try to get yoga, sound healing, acupuncture, acupressure and therapeutic massage – many of the alternative ways there are to take care of yourself,” said Patty. “That’s really what we’re trying to focus on.”
Scheduled self-defense, line dancing, and yoga demonstrations
Among the providers already registered to participate in the fair, which will take place from 5 pm to 8 pm, are COBRA Self-Defense, Simply Ground Yoga, Ajna Sound Healing and Line Dancing with Cathy Garland.
Patrick Delaney, owner of Ajna Sound Healing in Rutland, said therapy that uses music or sound to improve overall well-being is growing in popularity.
“Many people are unaware of the positive effects that sound healing can have, physically and mentally, so I look forward to networking and meeting others in the community,” said Delaney.
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Stephanie Lizotte, owner of Simply Grounded Yoga/Pilates in Winchendon, said this is the perfect time of year for residents to focus on their physical and mental health.
“Coming out of winter, which is very isolating, I think now is a great time for everyone to get out of the house and come together,” she said.
Chantal Zpinazzola, who together with her husband John own SpinFit Kickbox Fitness in Westminster, said she was delighted to be invited to attend the health fair. “Working out is really important. It’s about feeling better mentally, physically and emotionally.”
“We always try to tell people that spring is coming, summer is coming, and more people might be thinking that we’re not going to be together much longer, so it’s a good time to keep moving,” she said.
Patty said the event planning committee members wanted to invite a wide range of vendors to the event.
“We just threw out names and companies of people we thought should be there, but then I opened it up to Facebook and all our email contacts, asking if they thought they might have something to offer about wellness or mental health. . or physical health, please come and share your resources,” said Patty.
Other vendors at the event, which will feature raffles, activities and giveaways, will include Heywood Hospital, Recovery Centers of America, GAAMHA and the North County Land Trust.
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There is still time for suppliers to apply
There is still space available for any local business interested in participating in the event, Patty said.
“We’re down to over 30 vendors now, but we really don’t have a space limit – they can still apply,” she said, adding that organizers were pleased with the range of sponsors who had already signed up. . “I think we’ve covered (all topics) that we think about, but we don’t know what we don’t know. So if there’s anyone out there that thinks the community can benefit from your services, programs, products, if it’s related to wellness, please sign up and come share your resources.”
GCAT is a coalition of community stakeholders dedicated to providing educational events for residents.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Self Advocacy, Yoga, Sound Healing at the Gardner Health and Wellness Fair