On Sunday, July 28th, the Chicagoland Jewish Community was treated to Health & Safety Family Fair. The event was sponsored by Refuah 311-Healthcare Division of The Chicago Center.
Over 2,000 adults and children participated in the day’s activities. The theme of the day was health and safety in all forms. Booths included: Abbott who provided delicious food samples of their nutritional products. When illness strikes our community is well-equipped to help. Refuah 311, Chai Lifeline and Sharsheret had a representative available to talk about your options. Chicago Bike Ambassadors helped with the bike helmet fittings for the helmets that were available to purchase at a subsidized price and provided some vital bike safety tips. Swedish Covenant Health had CPR mannequins available to teach proper CPR methods. The JCC spent time with the participants to address the importance of sport and explained the fitness options they have available in our community. The British Swim School discussed the importance of water safety. Shalva, JCFS, No Shame on U and La’briut all showed the importance of emotional and mental safety; including the importance of self-image and talking about your feelings. TAG/Project Focus explained to adults and children about the importance of technology safety and Mrs. Marcy Goodman showed that it is never too early to talk about financial health. Other booths were: Norton & Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics, Seasons Hospice, Elite Hearing, Dental Health, RPI Therapy, and Art Therapy.
The Chicago Fire Department had a table to discuss fire safety and had a fire engine that made an appearance. They put on a wonderful demonstration. The hoses were turned on and the kids helped “put out the fire”. The Hatzalah Chicago ambulance and Sling-Shot were available throughout the fair for the kids to climb on and explore the inside and the responders were on-hand to answer questions. The Chicago Police Department had a squad car for everyone to enjoy. The kids loved to sit in it and turn on the sirens!
The kids loved all the activities that were available throughout the day! An educational animal show that discussed animal safety and the proper way to behave around animals, a petting zoo, Krav Mega Classes, inflatables, and arts & crafts.
This successful event was a day for the community to come together to be educated in this important topic-health & safety! Refuah 311 works hard to ensure that the needs of the community are being met on all levels. The weather could not have been better and the smiles on the faces of the children and adults were proof of the success of the event
