Health option providers and non-profits took to the 2019 Athabasca Wellness Fair and Trade Show May 10-11, selling their wares and bringing awareness to their products.
Held at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex, the fair drew participants like Access Bars, FASD Network and the Girl Guides of Canada.
Jennifer Oba runs the fair. A health business owner, she finds it important to gather.
“I just think mental health, physical health, being happy is really important to people, so, I like to bring together all these different venues, people and services to help people,” Oba said.
She said that Athabasca University originally started the health and wellness Fair, and when they decided to stop, Oba and a friend took it over.
“It got so big they moved it into the Multiplex,” Oba said about the fair’s origins.
Linda Ormson was a fair participant. A doctor of ministry and a registered nurse, Ormson had done her nursing degree in Athabasca.
“It’s really good to be home again,” Ormson said.
She was here to see her son and promote her newest book, Healthy Theology and Your Journey Through the Last Half of Life.
“This is a book about how we can manage all the humps and bumps of life as we grow older and do it in the best way,” Ormson said.
Cheryl Carlisle came to promote her business Vinyl Cravings.
“It’s nice to see all the different vendors and have people come check things out,” Carlisle said.
She makes vinyl decals and other items with high-tech means.
“I program it onto the computer so I can do everything custom and then I have a vinyl cutter that cuts it out and applies it,” Carlisle said.
Others were here to bring awareness like Mary Cochrane from Edmonton.
“My husband has Stage 4 lung cancer, and I’m doing a walk to raise money for early detection for lung cancer,” Cochrane said. “Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in Canada, about 78 Canadians every day are diagnosed and 58 Canadians will die from lung cancer every day, so we are trying to make something happen to reduce the number of deaths.”
“It’s not just about sell-sell-sell; it’s about coming out to see what’s actually available [in the community],” Oba said.
