GratiTuesday: Southern Illinois Wellness, Inc.

Wellness is the Name

In 2008 I was invited to join the Women for Health and Wellness, Inc. group to help with others and develop the first ever Southern Illinois Men’s Health Conference. The group of women had been around since the late 1980s, introducing the region to the Southern Illinois Women’s Health Conference in 1987. The women had also brought a teen girl’s conference to southern Illinois too.

After a few years of the Men’s Conference, I was invited to join the Women for Health and Wellness board of directors. The group was very organized and committed to making a difference in the health and wellness of women, men and children in our region.

That commitment was three separate paths. In 2017 board members voted to merge the three conferences into one big family wellness expo. Southern Illinois Wellness was born and even though the name is different, the commitment to helping improve health and wellness in southern Illinois is the same.

For the first time, the Southern Illinois Wellness Expo will be a one-stop shop for all things wellness. Children, teenagers, women, men and seniors will have activities to chose from. The board and executive director, Lisa Mann, have worked non-stop since this new concept was created to put on a quality event. March 24 is the day of this big event. John A. Logan College is hosting from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be health screenings; including blood draws valued at $650, heart, vision and physical activity assessments among several others. You can see the list here. There will be interactive vendors on hand, food trucks, Superheroes and members of the Southern Illinois Jedi Order. Tickets are just $10 in advance for adults and kids under 17 get in free.

I want to publicly thank these folks for their continued efforts to make the Southern Illinois Wellness Expo a reality; Lisa Mann, Ariella Gomez, Jennifer Gutierrez, Neisha Bhattacharya, Cathy Wood, Carol Belt, Dixie Travelstead, Tom Harness, Pam Appleton, Jo Sanders, Jo Poshard, Jan Payne and Christy Solverson.

Please be there on Saturday, March 24. Again, you can get tickets here or the Carbondale and Marion locations of Gold’s Gym.