Hundreds turn out for wellness fair

Uvalde, Texas—Nearly 200 free backpacks were provided and given away by the office of state Senator Carlos Uresti during the first hour of the Community Wellness Fair.

The fair was held Aug. 14 at the Uvalde High School cafeteria as a part of National Health Center Week celebration.

Community Health Development Inc. (CHDI) and Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District teamed up for the event that was made possible through the support of local businesses and community members.

The wellness fair theme was, "Wellness Fair Carnival – where wellness can be fun." Not only did the fair present booths on health and wellness, all children in attendance left with several bags of swag.

In addition to free backpacks, they received healthy snacks, balloons, toys, school supplies, tote bags and children's books.

Some of the older children were able to give blood and several younger children received immunizations they were lacking. Organizers held a prize drawing and every 10 minutes a new winner was announced.

The UHS Hi-Steppers painted faces in line with the carnival theme.

"Our 14th annual Wellness Fair was a huge success thanks to the support of so many, including this year's co-sponsors: UCISD, Methodist Healthcare Ministries Wesley Nurse Program, Texas Agri-Life Extension Center, ETT, Pfizer and Henry Schein," said Rachel Gonzales-Hanson of CHDI. "The planning committee was instrumental in making this a community event in every way. Uvalde Leader-News and Uvalde Radio KVOU/KUVA/KBNU provided wonderful support by letting people know about the fair. We had approximately 700 attendees and over 40 agencies participating. The feedback we have received has been positive and attendees expressed a deep appreciation for the efforts of so many. This continues to be a outstanding event to begin the new school year and celebrate National Health Center Week."

This article originally appeared in the Uvalde Leader-News and can be viewed by clicking here.