Eat healthy, get healthy at Wellness Fair

February 17, 2006

KOKOMO, Ind.—There IS a free lunch—and it’s healthy!

Thanks to the work of Indiana University Kokomo student Clely Arzu, visitors to the February 28 Wellness Fair on campus can enjoy nutritious Burger King® salads and Jimmy John’s® submarine sandwiches at no charge, along with free health screenings and information from many area health care providers. Open to the campus and public, the fair runs 10 a.m.–2 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Admission is free.

Available as long as supplies last, the lunches are underwritten by a $950 Community Service grant that Arzu successfully proposed to Indiana Campus Compact. Arzu is vice president of the IU Kokomo Multicultural Student Organization (MSO), cosponsor of the Wellness Fair along with the Office of Campus Climate.

Each visitor to the Wellness Fair will receive a “wellness report card,” for recording the results of various health screenings available from vendors. “They can get their blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, and other health measurements checked, and then be able to compare those numbers to health check-ups in the future,” said Catherine Barnes, coordinator of Campus Climate.

Fair exhibitors will include
• American Heart Association: Stroke screening
• American Red Cross: Cancer and smoking information
• Central Indiana Eye Institute: Vision screening
• Dentists Delivering Smiles: Dental service for people without insurance
• Howard County Health Department: HIV testing and information
• Howard Regional Health System: Behavior and stress management, colon cancer kits, Healthy Children and Teens, smoking cessation, and women’s heart health
• Indiana State Department of Health Osteoporosis Program: Bone density testing
• Kokomo Police Department: Date rape, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse information
• Martin Center: Sickle cell, glucose, and blood pressure screenings
• Minority Health Partner Lynn Quan Richie: Smoking cessation
• JoAnn Peterson: Blood glucose screening, plus diabetes and nutrition education
• Positive Results: Hearing screening
• Powerhouse Gym: Body mass index exams
• Project Access: Health care services for people without insurance
• St. Vincent Health St. Joseph Hospital: Sleep disorders and asthma information

Arzu is one of the several MSO members who are students of IU Kokomo’s School of Nursing. They saw a campus need for lessons in more healthful lifestyles. “Most college students know they need to eat properly,” Arzu said. However, she added, students often rely on high-fat, high-calorie fast food options, when classes, studying, work, and home life crowd their schedules. “At the Wellness Fair, we want to point out healthy options to Kokomo and to the campus.”

A resident of Kokomo, Arzu is one of six Student Leaders for Service Fellows named at IU Kokomo this fall. For completing 300 hours of community service as part-time Americorps volunteers, each fellow will receive a $1,000 education award. Fellows must recruit and lead teams of at least five other IU Kokomo students to carry out substantial volunteer projects with area non-profit agencies.

For additional information, contact (765) 455-9359. Persons without campus parking passes should follow the signs for special event parking for the Wellness Fair.

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Eat healthy, get healthy at Wellness Fair