Health fair introduces area services to San Juan Bautista residents

Residents who drove by the San Juan Bautista Carl Martin Luck Memorial Library on Nov. 17 looked on as children were play-fighting with sword-shaped balloons and people socialized near tables of pamphlets and posters. People walking by took time to find out the location was hosting its first Community Health Fair.

The Red Cross, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and San Benito Health Foundation were among 10 organizations informing attendees about their services at the Saturday fair.

“It’s a great opportunity for the people in San Juan to find out what services are available that they might not be aware of,” resident Beverley Meamber said.

Library assistant and fair organizer Bernadine Belaski-McGee said the event had been under discussion for about three years and finally happened thanks to a Health Trust grant the library received.

“People need to feel like they have help and a lot of people, local people, they sometimes don’t feel like they have help or they don’t know where to turn for help,” Belaski-McGee said.

Representatives of the participating organizations discussed their services at an open forum.

Kat Badgerow, residential coordinator for Sun Street Centers, was there to tell residents about the new women’s residential facility in Hollister, which complements the center’s sober living and men’s residential facilities in Salinas.

The residential facilities, Badgerow said, are for people in a 90-day substance abuse treatment program consisting of classes and education. Those who complete the program can then be placed in sober living environments that enable residents to apply what they learned from 12-step classes, according to Sun Street Centers’ website.

Stephanie Maldonado, program coordinator for Central Coast Quality of Life Programs, said her nonprofit organization helps people with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito areas. Services include case management, support groups, equipment reuse program and exercise classes.

First Five San Benito attended the community health fair in San Juan Bautista to tell parents about services available for children. Program Assistant Madison Kennedy said there are free classes on Line Street on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for children under five. The only requirement for participation, featuring activities like reading and art projects, is for the parents to accompany the children, Kennedy said.

For residents who use essential oils to better their health, Bridget Butler had a table set up with doTERRA products. Butler, a doTERRA wellness advocate, said oils can be used for immunity and respiratory support, and to relieve pain and inflammation.

For those interested in staying healthy through sports, Teresa Lavagnino provided information about pickleball. Lavagnino is a board member of San Juan Aromas Fitness & Tennis, the organization that refurbished the San Juan School tennis courts with pickleball courts and drew a big crowd to its grand opening in August.

Lavagnino said there is open play on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon. Tuesday night open play was canceled after switching back to standard time earlier this month. However, Lavagnino said that a future project may raise funds to install lights on the courts.

Over at the Community Center, one pickleball court may become available for night games shortly after lighting is installed, Lavagnino said.

“What we’re getting is not just San Juan-ers coming out to play but  a lot of people from Hollister are coming over to play,” Lavagnino said. Players in their 40s and older are picking up the sport, she added.

For tournaments, Lavagnino said players from surrounding cities like Santa Cruz and Monterey compete on the courts. The organization had a tournament in September and used the funds to buy 24 paddles which will be donated to San Juan School students, as San Juan Aromas Fitness & Tennis are looking into offering after school programs.

San Juan School and Fiesta Fun Run Committee Chairwoman Julie Hicks spoke on the third annual 5K, 10K and one-mile races scheduled to take place May 18, 2019.

“We do it to promote health amongst our students and the community and to promote the town of San Juan Bautista,” Hicks said.

The Fiesta Fun Run is part of the San Juan Home and School Club, Hicks said, and the funds benefit the school students. Routes are USATF-certified, meaning participants can enter their time for other races if they wanted to complete the 5K in a certain time or to keep track of personal records.

Hicks said the number of runners doubled from 150 to 300 in the first two years of the race. The goal for the 2019 race is 400 runners.

Although she is not the “decision-maker,” organizer Belaski-McGee said she hopes the health fair becomes an annual event and helps the library become a resource center for San Juan Bautista residents.