SVSU’s 12th annual Wellness Fair will be held Wednesday, March 29, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the O’Neill Arena in the Ryder Center.
The event will include many vendors from the community, presentations about health topics, opportunities to win prizes and much more.
Its goal is to promote health and wellness to SVSU students and faculty.
“I think that it is important that our campus community is informed of the health and wellness opportunities that are available in the Mid-Michigan area,” event coordinator Geena Militello said.
The event is organized through the Human Resources department, specifically by Militello, who serves as an intern. For a little over a year, Militello has served as the Healthy U intern and has been involved in the Wellness Fair’s planning.
“I have been in charge of contacting vendors, organizing dates, locations and times, the layout and vendor placement, prizes, activities and overall making sure that the event will run smoothly,” she said.
Since it is an annual event, the Wellness Fair has attracted and retained vendors from the surrounding community. Also, companies new to the area have been included in this year’s Wellness Fair. Vendors include GNC, MI Float, AdvoCare, Covenant, Kehres Chiropractic, Bicycle Village, Skyzone, and Great Lakes Yoga.
“MI Float will be here this year,” she said. “This company is stationed in Midland and uses a technique known as sensory deprivation. I think that this concept is relatively new, so I am looking forward to learning more and seeing what they bring to the wellness fair.”
Some vendors will be providing free services and free samples. Representatives from Covenant HealthCare, for instance, will be performing free bone density tests, and Liberty Mutual Insurance, Tri-City Chiropractic, and Your Healthy Balance have joined together to provide free chair massages.
Wendy Brand from Happy by Design will have a 15-minute presentation on seven Strategies to Become Happy and Healthy in 2017, which will begin at 2 p.m.
“Student Exercise Science Association, Athletic Training Club, and Student Nursing Association are all participating in this event,” Militello said. “Some will be taking blood pressures and others plan on having interactive booths to engage the crowd.”
Along with registered student organizations, some SVSU faculty members will be giving demonstrations and presentations. Acting Director of Student Wellness Programs Andrea Hamlin and Coordinator of Peer Health Cortney Heileman will be delivering 10-minute presentations on basic strength training at 11 a.m., exercises to do at your desk at 1 p.m. and stress and sleep at 1:30 p.m.
Executive Chef at SVSU Daniel Najera has participated in the Wellness Fair for the past three years through cooking demonstrations. This year, Najera is focusing on superfoods and will be preparing a Fueled-Up Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad.
“It’s going to have spinach, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, herb dressing, grilled chicken, and almonds,” he said. “So the super foods in the salad would be the sweet potatoes, the spinach, and the almonds.”
The Wellness Fair will provide opportunities to win prizes, such as free Cardinal Fitness passes and door prizes.
“It is important that we educate our campus community on accurate health and wellness topics, as sometimes these topics can be very subjective,” Hamlin said. “It is also a way to show that we care about the well-being of employees and students and that we invest in their health.”