BIRCH ISLAND—The Whitefish River First Nation Health Centre held a Children’s Health Fair last Saturday, the first of four health fairs the community will hold this year, with each focussed on a different age group of the community.
“We had a great turnout with over half the community households coming out,” community wellness worker Kiki Peltier told The Expositor on Monday. “This is our first year for the wellness fairs and we are very happy with the support we had for the first one focussed on children 0-12-years-old. We will also be holding a wellness fair focussed on the health of youth, one for men and one for women.”
“We wanted to start these fairs this year because we saw a need in the community,” continued Ms. Peltier. “It was a way for us to reach out and engage the community in our programs and services.”
There were lots of family fun events and presentations throughout the day including a presentation on the ‘Rites of Passage’ from Gloria McGregor, ‘Children and Physical Activity’ by Lorrilee McGregor, ‘Aboriginal Children’s Health and Well Being Measure’ by Dr. Nancy Young, ‘Whitefish River First Nation Health’ by Leslie McGregor and ‘Breastfeeding’ from Helen Risteen.
Activities for children included hula hooping, face painting and games.
A highlight of the day was the baby welcoming ceremony, which saw 13 new babies introduced to the community including Lily Bowerman, Leonidas Andrew, Jeremiah Shawanda, Aden Shawanda, Arol McGregor Owl, Jasper Zieglar, Kierra Paibomsai, Zane Wahsquonaikezhik, Delilah McGregor, Peyton Prince, Leyila Jacko, Layla Wahsquonaikezhik and Naomi Pitawanakwat-Esuk.
Each baby and his/her family received a poem, blanket and hat.
The next Whitefish River First Nation health fair will be held at the end of April with a focus on youth health. For more information call 705-285-4354.
