The Department of Health Promotion and Wellness and the Office of Student Support & Outreach will host a health and resource fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 8 on the Drill Field.
The free event will feature resources from campus organizations and community partners to promote the well-being of MSU students. It will be the first time the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness has ever done a health fair of this size.
As preparations for the event continue, many campus faculty members have expressed their excitement for the upcoming fair. Within the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness, both JuLeigh Baker and Kim Kavalsky are well equipped for the event.
Baker, an MSU alumna, is a health education specialist for the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness. She specializes in cancer education and sexual health and has been invested in health promotion and education for a long time.
“I always had a passion for health, education and learning, but I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher,” Baker said. “This role married both interests in health and learning together, and it felt like this is where my calling is.”
Along with Baker in the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness, Kavalsky helps to promote health around campus. She serves as the assistant director and coordinator of mental health outreach for the department.
“I’m the very first person in my role, and I absolutely love it. In that, I can meet students all over campus, and I am always learning and growing,” Kavalsky said.
The health resource fair will primarily focus on the eight dimensions of wellness model, which is a holistic approach to physical, spiritual and mental well-being. The model encompasses the dimensions of physical, emotional, social, intellectual, financial, spiritual, environmental and occupational health.
“We realize health is not just being sick,” said Baker, referencing the eight dimensions of wellness model. “A lot of aspects go into someone’s health.”
Baker hopes having organizations at the fair that focus on different aspects of health will benefit students.
“Some of the areas are not things we cover, but we know resources on campus that do relate to that. With student affairs and our department, we really focus on the student’s health and well-being outside of the academic setting,” Baker said.
Shades of Starkville, an annual event where students can interact with local businesses on the Drill Field, was the biggest inspiration behind the creation of the health resource fair. It is one of the school’s biggest events, and Kavalsky hopes to replicate that.
“We may get better and do it every year or semester based on the need,” Kavalsky said with excitement. “It’s our first time doing it, so we are trying not to set the bar too high. However, we have had a lot of interest from campus partners.”
Baker said she hopes the fair will reach a wider range of students that some of the department’s other events may have missed.
“We do many campus partnerships every year, so we’re always figuring out ways to work with organizations we haven’t worked with before,” Baker said. “We want to find ways to meet students we’ve missed before.”
The health resource fair will offer students the chance to win a clear bag as they meet other organizations on the Drill Field. After visiting a specific number of tables, students can grab a T-shirt and other giveaway items from the department. In the case of rain, the event will be held in the Colvard Student Union Foster Ballroom.
Both Baker and Kavalsky said they hope the event will reach a wide audience, especially those who do not keep up with the department’s social media posts.
“We know some of it’s going to be my chance reaching students, but that’s great because it is another student reached,” Baker said with a smile.