Kids Health Fair educates youth

As fall and winter approaches, the need is growing for kids to keep healthy and warm. Shoshone Medical Center Booster Club members are hoping they can help. For the second year in a row, the club is focusing its efforts and funds on kids by hosting the FREE Kids’ Health Fair at the SMC Health and Education Building in Smelterville, just outside of Kellogg, Idaho. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is open to anyone. With the theme of “Color me Healthy,”—SMC’s educational, fun, interactive, and innovative program that focuses on healthy eating and physical activity— exhibitors and fair hosts will aim to pique and engage childrens’ five senses by providing activities that use color, music and/or movement to relate their message. Exhibits will include a hand-washing and germ exhibit, a Pet Rescue booth spotlighting dog safety, Avista educating on electrical safety, and the SMC radiology department displaying real x-rays to explain how and why bones break, and how to keep bones strong and intact. There will also be dentist and doctor booths, the Boy Scouts of America, Campfire Inland Northwest Council, Poison Control, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, all with various give-aways and fun activities to learn about staying healthy and safe. In addition, there will be a bouncy slide, fire engine and MedStar helicopter tours, plus Sparkey, the firehouse dog mascot and Smokey Bear, who loves hugs and high-fives. To encourage kids to visit each of the 26-plus booths, each child will receive a string backpack to collect all their freebies and a stamp card. Once a child’s card is stamped from each booth, he or she will be eligible to win one of six bikes in a bike raffle. There will also be free snacks, games, health screenings, many door prizes, a winter coat give-away, and new and gently-used coats, hats and mittens for kids in need. New this year will be free family and/or individual children’s pictures taken by a local photographer. Pictures will be saved onto disks and given to the families at no charge. The SMC Booster Club is made up of SMC employees who volunteer their time to raise funds to give to local charities. They raise these funds through employee holiday parties, food drives, games, and raffles. “We thought a Kids Health Fair would be a fun way to give back to the community by providing health education opportunities,” said Mary Bren, Fiscal Manager at Shoshone Medical Center and head organizer of the SMC Kid’s Health Fair. “When we held our first kids’ coat drive two years ago, we learned just how much need there is in this area for cold weather outerwear. So we decided to combine the two and had great attendance last year. This year, we’re planning for more than 400 attendees, 150 of those children.” All funding is provided by sponsor donations so that there is no cost to kids or families. If you’re interested in sponsoring a booth at the Kids’ Fair, contact Mary Bren at mbren@shomed.org.