On Saturday, March 21st, two organizations came together for the “Spring Into Health and Fitness Fair”.

The Junior Auxiliary of Abbeville teamed up with the Vermilion Boys and Girls Club for a day of fun and fitness for the boys and girls of Abbeville. Local health practitioners volunteered their time to teach the children about everything from proper hand-washing to healthy eating.

The kids were very excited to get a new toothbrush, compliments of Dr. Lance Savoie, DDS, whose wife Deborah taught the kids how and when to brush their teeth.

Dorian Driscoll brought her Trim Kids program to Abbeville to teach kids about healthy eating and exercise.

Mandy Armentor of the LSU Agricultural Center brought a black light and fake liquid germs to give the kids a look at how many “germs” are on their hands. The kids loved going back to the black light to inspect if they had properly washed off the germs.

Cisco Baca with the Iberia Community Health Care Clinic taught the kids how to handle emergency situations by dialing 911. He also gave them a quick lesson about simple first aid and gave out small first aid kits.

The event also hosted Kallen Belanger, owner of BodyQuest, who really got the kids moving with a series of fitness tests and exercises.

Members of Junior Auxiliary of Abbeville staffed “fitness” areas, which included competitions to get the kids active. These competitions occurred every 10 minutes and included Hula Hooping, jump roping and basketball tossing. The kids really enjoyed competing for prizes such as miniature golf sets, Hula Hoops, Frisbees, bats and balls, and jump ropes, among many other items.

This project is just part of the total 270,109 hours of volunteer service performed nationally by Junior Auxiliary members every year. The Abbeville Chapter is a member of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, Inc. (NAJA), whose members render charitable services that are beneficial to the general public, with particular emphasis on children.

Jen Adcock, member of Junior Auxiliary said, “The National Focus of NAJA is Healthy Children, Healthy Futures, and Junior Auxiliary members strive to improve the mental, physical, social and emotional well-being of children in their communities. Teaming up with the Boys & Girls Club afforded JA of Abbeville the opportunity to carry out its mission.”

According to Brian Ford, Unit Director of the Vermilion Boys and Girls Club, “This project fits right in line with our health and life skills core area. We have several programs that we run on a daily basis that are focused on combating childhood obesity. This was a great opportunity for us to partner with a great organization for the benefit of the youth of our community.”

For more information regarding Junior Auxiliary of Abbeville or how to become a member, contact Jennifer Adcock at 893-5563.

For more information or how you can get involved and support the Vermilion Boys and Girls Club contact Brian Ford, Unit Director, at 898-9745.