With more than 100 exhibits, 85 volunteers and 600 people in attendance, the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association celebrated its 100-year anniversary at its 40th annual health and wellness fair last Saturday at East Ridge Middle School.
The volunteers helped serve children as young as 2 years old and a woman who is 102.
“What a span of ages,” Theresa Santoro, the RVNA’s executive director, said.
“The fair was a tremendous success,” she said. “The goal was to have something for everybody in the community, and really make it about the community.”
She said that two 2-year-old children had their vision tested and were diagnosed with visual problems.
“Kudos to the Lions Club for bringing in the new technology to the fair this year that can be used to evaluate children,” Ms. Santoro said. “The two children that were detected at the fair would have gone through preschool and possibly kindergarten with vision problems.”
The 102-year-old woman, who lives alone, attended the fair to receive a free blood-glucose test and a cholesterol screening, Ms. Santoro said.
The fair offered more than 30 free screenings in the middle school’s cafeteria, covering such things as the nervous system, diabetes, blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s.
One of the most popular screenings was for carotid arteries, which saw more than 75 people turn out and kept doctors there until 3:15 — after the fair had officially closed.
Ms. Santoro said the RVNA moved the fair to East Ridge this year because past fairs were “bursting at the seams.” She said the RVNA hopes to host its future fairs there.
“We do plan on continuing this model of health fair,” she said. “We hope to maintain this volume of people who turned out, and that means going forward with a bigger venue.”
Alyza Crook reads the ledger of Irene Hoyt at the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association’s 40th annual health and wellness fair Saturday, April 5. Alyza’s father, Aaron, works as a nurse for the RVNA, which turns 100 this year. Ms. Hoyt’s notebook dates back to 1914, when the organization was founded. East Ridge Middle School hosted the fair. —Steve Coulter photo