The crowd participates in the BootCamp Bess Fitness Class
The Hope Community Health Fair was held at the coliseum today and brought some fun into healthy living! This health fair was hosted by the April R. Love Foundation with services and materials donated by many contributing community partners such as the Hope ConneXion Outreach Center, Pafford Medical Services, Hope Public Schools, Kindred Healthcare, Smiles of Arkansas, the Arkansas Department of Health, the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, the UAEX Extension Service for Hempstead County, and LifeShare Blood Center. Citizens were able to receive a multitude of healthy items, in addition to various medical screenings and services. Vision screenings, Covid19 vaccines, and dental kits were available to the public for free, as well as screenings for blood glucose, weight, blood pressure, and oxygen. Patrons were also given the chance to donate blood if interested and many members of the community participated, keeping the LifeShare booth busy throughout the entire health fair. A light lunch with snacks, educational resources, and door prizes were also given away to those who attended the fair.
The highlight of the event was the BootCamp Bess Fitness Class. This class was presented by Bess Gamble-Williams, CEO, Owner, and Instructor of Extreme Marine Boot Camp. She is a retired, 20-year Marine Corp veteran and uses techniques acquired during her own boot camp experience to instruct her classes. Bess is also a certified fitness trainer. After a rousing speech about healthy living, BootCamp Bess motivated the crowd to stretch, move, and exercise to popular tunes played by the DJ. The entire coliseum was full people twisting, turning, and laughing while learning all kinds of workout tips and tricks.
Magigor Love from the April R. Love Foundation summed up the day best when she shared with SWARK.Today the inspiration for today's event. "All of these willing community partners are what made this event possible," said Love. "They all share a common goal: promoting health, diet, fitness, education, and awareness to improve health care in the community. Given the current climate, this is more important than ever, and we are all excited to be able to share this with the community."
