University of Rhode Island Health Promotion provided students with access to health resources on- and off-campus at their Winter Wellness Fair on Feb. 11.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees were offered free hot chocolate, popcorn, stickers, magnets, stress balls and other goodies from tables aimed at bringing students together and promoting wellness.
Organizations ranged from on-campus groups such as the Women’s Center, Rhody Outpost and Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services to off-campus businesses focused on self-care such as Herbs and Mylk Soaps and Skincare, Newport Mental Health Group and Kingston Cottage Candle Company.
URI Sport-Nutrition Specialist Kelli Kidd represented her respective department of nutrition, along with advertising resources for the Free Farmer’s Market in the fall.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to ensure that the students know of all the resources available to them,” Kidd said. “For example, today we are hopefully putting out awareness of an upcoming week in February: Nutrition Empowerment in support of NEDAW, which is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.”
Seeing all these resources in an accessible way is helpful for students like resident assistants who may want to share the information with their fellow students, according to Sara Kulis, a second-year resident assistant. Kulis regularly attends URI Health Promotion events so that she can be better equipped to help her residents.
“Whenever I come to these events, I always try to get things for my residents that I can pass out and give to them,” Kulis said.
Tables like South Kingstown Prevention and the 988 Helpline help educate students on how they can handle emergencies among their friends and peers, according to Kulis.
“I feel like drug safety is a really big issue now,” Kulis said. “I want to educate myself on it more, so if something happens with my friends or my residents, I can be a person who can help out with that.”
Although Health Promotion holds events year-round, the Winter Wellness Fair is especially important, according to Natalie Fitzgerald, the secretary of Rhody Stronger Together, an on-campus club aimed at breaking mental health stigma.
“It’s definitely worth it to get out there and remember that there are things to do, even when the cold is kicking your butt,” Fitzgerald said.
In addition to getting students out of their dorms, the Winter Wellness Fair assists in connecting students with one another, according to Miralyna Yocom, the community outreach coordinator for All That Matters Yoga and Wellness Studio.
“I think it just brings the community together,” Yocom said. “[Students] might find something that is new to them that they love that they otherwise might not have had access to.”
Students were presented with opportunities to increase their on-campus involvement, according to Fitzgerald. With the presence of clubs like Rhody Stronger Together, students can continue to connect with like-minded people even past the beginning of the semester.
“We just hope that people see our club and want to join us and have fun with us,” Fitzgerald said.
