Family Health Fair and Forum a Huge Success

More than 70 individuals with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) joined their families at the first-ever Special Olympics Wisconsin (SOWI) Family Health Fair and Forum on Saturday, April 12 in Manitowoc. The event kicked off a new season for a health club ran by the county’s local Special Olympics program (Agency), the Manitowoc County Miracles. The club hosts weekly bike rides, walks, and incorporates health education into each gathering.  

During April’s event, Pam Malin, a Disability Specialist with C.A.R.E.S, hosted a session about Healthy Relationships. Representatives from the Manitowoc County Health Department, the UW-Extension Family Living Program and the Holiday House also educated attendees about their programs focusing on health.  Attendees visited booths to learn about resources for smoking cessation, hand hygiene, pedestrian safety, healthy snack building and Special Olympics Project UNIFY®. They also received blood pressure, body mass index and bone mineral density screenings. 

Family Health Forums are part of the Healthy Communities Demonstration Project which targets for Healthy Athletes® at a local level, ultimately creating communities where Special Olympics athletes and others with ID have the same access to health and wellness resources and can attain the same level of good health as others.   SOWI hosts five Family Health Forums around the state every year so check the Calendar of Events on our homepage regularly for upcoming opportunities.  

Would you like to drive health education to a local Agency?  Would you like to host a Family Health Forum?  Are you a health or wellness expert who would like to share your gift with our organization?  To learn more or to get involved with this initiative, contact Jessica Chuckel at [email protected] or (715) 803-4931.