Promoting health through interactive activities

The second annual Wellness Street Fair took place on Thursday, April 14 from 3-7p.m. and was a great success in terms of student and faculty participation despite the suspicious looking weather near the end of the day.

According to Cristelle Garnier, the Health Promotions Co-ordinator at the Wellness Center and the main planner of this event, the Wellness Street Fair was meant “to promote the nine dimensions of wellness to the Rollins community through fun and interactive activities.”

These nine dimension of wellness include: physical, emotional, intellectual, occupational, financial, social, creative, and spiritual wellness–all of which were addressed by the fifty vendors and sponsors present at the fair.

While offering interactive activities such as Zorb balls, Jousting, and Arts and Crafts (e.g. creating your own mindfulness jar), and distributing lots of great prizes, the Street Fair brought different facets and outlets of wellness to the Rollins community while creating a welcome diversion from end-of-semester exams.

Sponsors such as the Orlando Recovery Center, Blue Horizons, and Guidewell were motivated to become involved because the fair presented the perfect opportunity to share services with the community, teach each other through fun activities, and promote awareness.

With finals looming around the corner, it is especially important to keep both emotional and physical wellness in mind. Stress is not the answer.

This year’s Wellness Street Fair was a “great opportunity for students to make friends and learn more about the businesses in the Winter Park community” while taking a much needed break, said Garnier.

The event’s success, however, was due to months of planning and coordination.

Some of the main players involved in this year’s Wellness Street Fair were the Wellness Center Team, the Wellness Ambassadors, Dr. Connie Briscoe, Director of the Wellness Center, and a dedicated committee consisting of members of the EcoRollins organization.

Roads had to be blocked off, vendors had to be contacted, tables and tents needed to be set up, promotional signs had to be plastered all over campus. . . and hours upon hours of planning were necessary to bring this event to life on the Rollins campus. A great thank you to all who were involved.