Community Wellness Expo will showcase resources for families

To ensure the wellbeing of local families, Crane School District is hosting its first-ever Community Wellness Expo on Feb. 13. Spearheaded by the district’s nutrition director Michael Clark, the event aims to give families a clearer view of the resources available to them here in Yuma.

“In this way, we’re supporting students beyond academic achievement by providing services to the whole family,” said Crane Community Relations Coordinator Mario Hogue.

Held on the lawn in front of the Rancho Viejo Learning Community, located at 930 S. Avenue C, the expo will run from 4 to 6 p.m. and feature interactive activities, information and resources from a variety of different entities on the local and state levels, such as the Yuma Community Food Bank, Yuma County Public Health Services District, WIC and oncampus resources.

“Wellness isn’t limited to physical health,” said Clark. “It includes mental health, too. From my point of view, we’re trying to gather as much information as we can push out (to families), because it doesn’t always get out to people who need it most.”

By working together with various service providers, the district’s hope is to create a bridge that connects individuals and families to services that will benefit them.

“We’re promoting both community and district resources, because it’s not just one or the other,” Clark said. “We’re all targeting the same families.”

The district is still looking for vendors to join the expo and showcase their resources. To participate, contact Clark by phone at 928373-3911 or email at mclark@craneschools. org.

“If we can connect with one individual who can take those resources and information back to their social and professional circles, it spreads awareness even more,” Hogue said.