Wellness Fair reaches out to students

    With the recent disease hysteria and the dreaded flu season fast approaching, it comes as no surprise that Concord University is taking proactive measures to make students aware of their health and providing them with tools to protect themselves by way of the annual Wellness Fair. This year’s Wellness Fair was particularly valuable to students and other patrons because it focused not only on physical aspects of health, but on mental and emotional wellness as well, featuring a broad array of booths and vendors offering information on various topics, from an oral hygiene booth giving away free toothbrushes and floss to a table offering flu shots to an informational display regarding domestic abuse. 

    The fair was free to enter, and students and faculty were able to peruse the booths and talk to various healthcare professionals regarding subjects such as personal hygiene and sexual responsibility. Patrons also enjoyed free flu shots and hearing screenings, commodities which might otherwise be financially unattainable for the typical college student. 

    The fair also provided information about physical fitness, giving BMI measurements and advice on how to purchase and eat foods that are both healthy and fiscally responsible. One lucky fair goer even walked away with a mini refrigerator fully stocked with healthy, tasty snacks, a goldmine for any college student. 

    Dr. Marjie Flannigan, Vice President of Student Affairs, plays a major role in coordinating the event each year and believes it’s an effective way to keep students healthy and happy during their time at Concord. “We started [the wellness fair] a couple of years ago as a way to bring all the resources to students, staff, and the community as a way for them to have flu shots, and hearing tests, and all kinds of wellness kinds of things,” Flannigan says. 

Flannigan states that the mission of the Wellness Fair is to bring attention to the various needs of the body and mind, saying, “We just really need to be aware that there is a lot that goes into wellness, the holistic person from mental health, physical health, exercise, nutrition, the whole bit.”

Aside from the obvious importance of the Wellness Fair as a means of immunizing the public from dangerous strains of the flu and making the community aware of the resources available to them, the fair is largely a community involvement activity meant to bring the communities of Athens and Concord University together in a symbiotic mission to protect themselves and each other. For Flannigan, this is a particularly important part of the fair. She says, “We just love having the Wellness Fair! It’s a fun activity, we try to make it festive and bring the community to campus, so it’s just a great community institution that Concord offers.”