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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.
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.
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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] |
