The Wellness Council of Boyertown, a program of Boyertown Area Multi-Service, hosted its 17th annual Wellness Fair to reinvigorate the community’s health journey.
A celebration of vibrant living, as organizers described it, the Wellness Fair featured fitness demonstrations to informative vendor tables and healthy treats. The free family event drew around 300 attendees and about 30 vendors and demonstrators.
Held at Boyertown Area Senior High on Saturday, March 16, the day’s activities kicked off that morning with a Community Impact Walk followed by the Running of the Bears, in which students and their families competed for their schools by completing laps.
Each participant was issued a punch card, and each lap around the high school track was recorded. The school with the most laps has the honor of displaying the Healthy Bear traveling trophy.
The Zander Family of Beckham, 7; Madison, 5; Colin and Alyssa racked up a combined 30 laps for Washington Elementary. Beckham Zander completed nine laps, which was more than his last year’s total.
First-time runner Sophia Ortiz-Tanon, 7, ran eight laps for Boyertown Elementary.
A total of 2,801 Running of the Bears laps were recorded with Boyertown Elementary taking first place with a total of 639.
The Wellness Fair officially opened at 10 a.m. in the Bear Gym.
It included health and wellness-related vendors, a youth obstacle course, presentations by Be ReZilient Art, a Brushing Away Tension workshop, healthy snacks, a CrossFit Kids Class demonstration by Bear’s Den Fitness, demonstrations by the Boyertown YMCA and a performance by Visions Dance Company.
Offering fun and fitness for all ages, the fair included Senior Walking Bingo. Each walker received a clipboard with two bingo cards. The group then walked through the school and made stops periodically. While stopped, bingo numbers were called. Walkers who achieved bingo on their card received a prize.
Yoga Therapy
One of the highlights was an opportunity to join in a yoga therapy session by Diane Kistler.
New to the area, Kistler, a certified yoga therapist with specialties in chronic pain and cancer, participated in the fair for the first time.
In the fall, Kistler reached out to Boyertown Area Multi-Service and offered to provide a presentation on the mind and body approach to chronic pain.
“They told me about this (Wellness Fair) opportunity to share what I do with the larger Boyertown community,” Kistler explained.
She demonstrated and led a group through a variety of yoga movements and breaths.
“I hope that participants, during my demo, will glean from it how yoga can help someone with back pain and pain in general,” Kistler said.
EMS Demonstrations
Phil Nunan of Boyertown Community Ambulance Service demonstrated the Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System, which provides mechanical chest compressions to patients in cardiac arrest.
“It provides chest compressions at the same rate and quality, Nunan said. “It’s consistent. We have one in every one of our ambulances. We only have a crew of two and when we need an extra hand, that’s an extra hand.”
Fair volunteers Devyn Rhoads, 16, and Cadi Eckert, 15, demonstrated how to perform chest compressions on CPR mannequins. The teens are part of Explorer Post, which allows individuals from 14 to 20 years old to learn about careers in emergency services.
“We’ve learned about the work of an EMT,” said Eckert, a Boyertown West student. “We’ve learned things like chest compressions and first aid. When we’re 16, we can do ride-alongs in the ambulance to get hands-on experience.”
Kid Chefs
The Kids Celebrity Chef Competition was a highlight of the fair.
With a goal to encourage students to take an interest in the food they eat and to seek out healthy, fun recipes that they can help prepare, the competition began in 2012 as an independent event and was combined with the fair the following year.
Boyertown district students from from first to fifth grades submitted a healthy recipe in one of three categories: appetizers and snacks, side dishes and meatless entrees.
Six finalists were chosen and invited to prepare 250 samples of their recipe to be judged by a group of eight celebrity judges including Boyertown Mayor Lori Carnes and Grind Restaurant owner Keith Kopicki. The public was invited to taste all of the dishes and cast a vote for their favorite recipe.
Judges’ Choice Award was given to Taylor Simpson from New Hanover Upper Frederick Elementary for her Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins.
The first-place prize, a bicycle, went to Grace Montanaro from Gilbertsville Elementary for her Mama Mia Veggie Ball Poppers.
The Wellness Council of Boyertown, a program of Boyertown Area Multi-Service, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes health and wellness through activities such as the annual Wellness Fair and Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K race. For more information, visit http://www.boyertownareamulti-service.org/the-wellness-council.html.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment