Elevate Your Wellness Expo celebrating
the return of the annual health fair
[March 04, 2025]
A steady stream of Lincoln residents turned up at the
Lincoln Park District (LPD) on Saturday morning for Elevate Your
Wellness Expo, a return of the health fair that the LPD hosted for
decades before it was put on hold by the Covid pandemic. The Wellness
Expo on Saturday offered resources from community organizations and
businesses on emotional, physical, financial, and social well-being.
Patrons were able to take advantage of physical and mental health
information, free screenings, and more while picking up lots of useful
samples and swag from vendors.
Fifty-six wellness and community organization vendors set
up information booths on the indoor tennis courts at the LPD from 9 a.m.
to 12 p.m. Health, inspiration, and community wellness resources
represented included multiple departments from Lincoln Memorial Health,
a variety of senior services and assisted living centers, chiropractors,
the Logan County Department of Public Health, Rotary Club, Illinois
Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, Girls on the Run of Central
Illinois, LPD Foundation and Fitzone, Melaleuca, Salus, Precision
Movement, YoungDance, Inc., Pregnancy Resource Center, Heartland
Community College, Logan County Veteran’s Assistance Commision, Sugar
Creek Orthodontics, Lincoln Pastoral Counseling, 4-H, Boy Scouts, Edward
Jones Investments, CEFCU, Lincoln Community Garden Project, Lincoln
Community Theatre, and many members of the Lincoln Community Health
Collaborative such as Chestnut Health Systems, Gateway, and ROSC, as
well as other wellness and family support organizations.
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Nutritionist Sarah Swaar held food demonstrations
from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. including tasty free samples. The Lincoln
Park District Foundation offered Avanti’s gondola sandwiches for
purchase in the ballroom as a fundraiser and sold out within an
hour.
Anyone who spent their 4th grade year
in Lincoln school districts may remember a Friday field trip to the
LPD in conjunction with the previous health fairs to participate in
the heart health obstacle course and to learn more about healthy
living from health fair sponsors. LPD Fitness Manager and Wellness
Expo organizer Jennifer Prather has hopes to one day bring back this
rite of passage as part of the Wellness Expo with additional
community support.
Prather said the LPD had received many calls over the
years since the health fair was cancelled asking about its return.
She was excited to expand the Wellness Expo to include areas of
health such as social and financial, and even chemical-free
cleaning, in addition to medical health. She stated that the LPD was
“super thankful for community support. Look for the Elevate Your
Wellness Expo again next year in the spring.” The mission of the
Lincoln Park District is “to enhance the quality and availability of
leisure opportunities to meet the diverse needs of the community by
providing recreational programs, facilities and park areas for the
benefit of current and future generations.”
[Stephanie Hall] |
