Hosting programming during the Pandemic for large gatherings has been difficult, but due to the vaccine and low numbers of people contracting covid, we were able to host a Health Fest event outside. We partnered with UK College of Dentistry (who were screening for throat cancers, as Johnson County and Kentucky rank as some of the highest rates in the nation), along with several local agencies, to present information beneficial holistically to the health of the whole family.

Viewing health holistically includes a variety of perspectives-social, emotional, psychological, and of course physical are to name a few areas of focus. For this reason, the event included Healthy Eating (complete with Farmer's Market coupons), blood pressure checks, blood sugar checks, diabetic support (with 56 glucometers distributed), many healthy recipes distributed, herbs (seeds, how to grow, how to cook...), hands on art experiences, stop smoking support, substance use disorder support, colon cancer screening support, Extension Homemakers continued educational program support on all topics, the FRED (families reading every day), preschooler back pack parent toolkit program (called Parent Expo), and even fishing. Not only did 90-100 attend the event, but 28 were screened for cancer, one received an on-the spot biopsy, 40 had their blood pressure checked, 30 had their blood cholesterol checked, 20 children experienced hands on art, 3 won fishing poles and one family won a scooter. All attendees received health kits, sunscreen, toothbrushes and other necessary items to preserve health, along with much information to aid in the quest! In addition to this, we had 8,295 reached, 607 engagements, 1,156 likes, 32 comments, 119 shares were received from 37 Facebooks posts!