Nov. 23 -- LIMA -- The Lima community was connected with a plethora of resources and holiday fun Saturday at the Healthy Families Expo.
Attendees at Lima's Veterans Memorial Civic Center maneuvered through the crowded event to check out nearly 50 different booths, all providing and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
"It's a fun way for families to kick off the healthy holiday season with lots of free and fun activities," Activate Allen County co-director Kayla Monfort said.
This year's event was the sixth, according to Monfort. A variety of activities was enjoyed by people of all ages, including taking pictures with Santa, visiting a live reindeer, playing in a bounce house, shooting hoops at a basketball float, face painting, yoga with the Grinch and receiving massages. Additionally, various community vendors provided valuable resources, such as Mercy Health, Crime Victim Services, Wick, and Snap.
"One thing we've tried to incorporate more is using the stage more, showcasing community talent," Monfort said. A live animal demo, dancing, yoga and Soldiers of Honor engaged with attendees on the stage.
Anisha Hale, the community health coordinator for Mercy Health, outlined the goals she and the organization had for Saturday's event.
"[It's about] making sure families have their needs met, they know the resources available to them in the community and just to show the support and encouragement in addressing any needs that they have," she said.
Hale and others from Mercy Health were conducting focus group questions regarding any possible health disparities.
"The goal with that is to compile the group of questions to find out what some of the most needed things are in the community so that we can create events for the community to address those things," Hale said.
The group of 10 focus group questions was asked to over a hundred people for their feedback.
Addressing smoking was a big focus for Mercy Health and St. Rita's Internal Medicine at Saturday's Expo.
"Too many people smoke and everyone knows it's bad for them," Dr. William Hinegardner said. "They usually don't know how to quit."
Hinegardner highlighted the importance of finding a solution, whether it be nicotine patches or gum, instead of focusing on adhering to a specific timeline due to the difficulty. "We provide our resources, such as the smoking sensation clinic, and discuss lung cancer screenings," he said.
Other resources, including tips for reducing cancer risk, how to assess warning signs for strokes and heart attacks, how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into a diet and the impact of soft drinks were made available for attendees.