The 2021 Healthfair/Readifest was a collaborative program planned by the Spencer County Cooperative Extension Service and the Family Resource/Youth Service Center.  There were several other groups who helped sponsor the event with monetary and time donations.  Churches and other local businesses also donated school supplies. The event was cancelled in 2020, but organizers felt that it needed to happen in 2021 due to the economic situation going on currently with increasing prices for many items that students need to go back to school.  This program is normally held throughout most of the Spencer County High School, but due to COVID-19, it was a walk through event held in the parking lot at the school.  

            The goal of this program is to help improve the community’s health for both adults and youth and to insure school age children have needed health checkups and school supplies before the first day of school.

            Throughout the 2 hour event, adults and children visited over 40 booths where they could get various health checks and also received information on various health topics, including healthy eating, cancer prevention, bicycle safety, mental health, health insurance, and physical fitness.  Children also received school supplies, which included pencils, crayons, folders, paper, notebooks, backpacks, markers, and other items needed for school.  This helped reduce the amount of money that families have to spend for these needed supplies.   

            The results for the 2021 Healthfair/Readifest were excellent.  There were over 900 people that participated and in-kind contributions for volunteer hours and supplies was over $16,000.