Keene State College’s Wellness Center, Office of Student Involvement, Office of Student Diversity, Belonging, and Equity and Office of Environmental Health and Safety came together to host the third annual Health Fair.
This year, the Health Fair took place in the L.P. Young Student Center on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 11-1 p.m. Smoothies, raffle prizes, giveaways and Monadnock Therapy Pets were available activities.
This event covered the importance of different activities regarding health, strategies to cope with mental or physical health issues and ways to prepare yourself in case of a potential emergency.
Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator Julie Kroupa said that in total, “There are about 17 tables here today including the therapy dogs.” Kroupa continued, “We just want to get awareness out for all the different programs and what our community has to offer.”
Barbara Berthiaume, director of wellness center, chief medical officer and nurse practitioner added to Kroupa’s comment and said, “My vision a few years ago starting the health fair was to have students facing what they have been learning in class and teaching their peers. That has evolved over the last couple of years, where now we try to make it into a community event having on and off-campus come together and educate on a lot of things.”
Graduate student Chloe March said she was hoping people walking by the tabling would take away the fact that “humans have an impact on the environment, the environment we create has an impact on human health.”
March said what she had set up at the sustainability table was “displays on air quality as it relates to health and heat waves as it relates to health.”
Chelsea Munroe, outreach coordinator for Monadnock Peer Support, discussed what her organization had set up for students at its table.
“[We have] some of our pamphlets of who we are and what we do, we have a calendar and description of all of our groups, when we run them, what time they are,” said Munroe. “We also have our floating lantern festival which is our annual fundraiser and some little fun stuff like chapstick or stress balls and candy provided here as well.”
Munroe said the goal of her organization’s table was “just getting the word out so people are aware of the mental health that we have and the programs we offer here as well as bringing awareness and letting the public know about us.”
First-year Sophia Ostrander said her favorite thing about the health fair was the therapy dogs.
“I just think it’s a good mood lifter from coming straight out of class and seeing these fluffy dogs. It’s warm to see dogs, it reminds me of home,” Ostrander said.
First-year Emma Cloutier agreed with Ostrander and said her favorite thing in the student center was the therapy dogs, “It’s just a great way to relieve stress and it’s perfect because you don’t have to talk,” Cloutier said. “You just get to pet the dogs and I love that.”
While the Monadnock Therapy Pets seemed to be the highlight of the event for many, other students said they enjoyed seeing the various organizations who were tabling.
First-year Kyi Burth said, “It was nice that this table [Monadnock Center for Violence Protection] provided pamphlets about sexual health catered for queer people.”
Junior Thupten Sherpa said the tabling that stuck out to her the most was also the Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention table.
“It’s a great way to educate people on certain things and being a bystander and it’s a great way to learn and get involved in organizations,” said Sherpa. “This tabling was informative with it all.”
Tamy Jacques can be contacted at
tjacques@kscequinox.com
