City of Portage touches hearts in the community at 23rd annual Senior Health Fair

On Tuesday, May 20, The City of Portage hosted its 23rd annual Senior Health Fair inside the Oakwood Hall building at Woodland Park. At the event, seniors in Northwest Indiana were presented with a full display of health tips and had the opportunity to speak with industry professionals. 

Mayor Austin Bonta gave a warm welcome to everyone in attendance at the beginning of the event. He’s excited that the City of Portage can organize this event for another year to support seniors in the local communities.

“The City of Portage cares about the health of everyone, whether it’s the youth or someone in their 20s or 30s,” Bonta said. “We want to make sure that we’re addressing the most important health issues and getting information out there to the community to improve their situation. Ideally, we want people to live in Portage from when they’re born until the senior phase. It’s important for us to make sure we have seniors in the community who are healthy and active, and this is one way for us to celebrate that community.”

Norma Laboy, public relations specialist with the City of Portage, was proud of not only the participation from attendees but also the vendors who volunteered to educate the local residents.

“We have a lot of the senior living facilities here, as well as the hospitals and some nonprofit organizations,” Laboy said. “We’re grateful to have so many volunteers who want people in our city to know what to look out for. We have about 10 more vendors than last year, and it’s been a focal point for us to reach out to some of the places that most people might not think about. Not every senior is in need of a senior health facility either, so we wanted to have something for everybody here.” 

Some booths gave attendees a chance to spin the wheel for a special prize. Other vendors had prizes for answering questions or participating in a health screening.

The event also presented an opportunity for residents to learn about the City of Portage’s Senior Advisory Committee, which is a group of individuals who are dedicated to providing advice and support to older adults in the community. Laboy serves as the team management and event coordinator of the committee, which is also composed of Bonta and representatives of additional local agencies.

“A big reason why we started the Senior Advisory Committee is because we don’t want seniors to feel forgotten,” Laboy said. “During COVID-19, we were doing drive-thru lunches and pickups because we wanted them to know how important they are. We also want them to know how important these health issues can be, and that’s a big motivation for our committee.”

Cathy Ellis, marketing liaison with Dunes Hospice, was one of the vendors for this event. Ellis has been supporting the City of Portage’s health fair since the annual event first got started. She’s pleased with how the event continues to become more polished as more people begin to learn about it.

“Seeing the seniors come out here to learn about what we have to offer is incredible,” Ellis said. “Mayor Bonta’s advisory group does a great job with bringing the vendors out and advertising it. There’s so many health fairs out there, and this one has so many giveaways and meets the needs of the community.”

While this event is directed towards the senior community, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for everyone to walk away more educated.

“The highlight of this event for me is meeting the seniors,” Ellis said. “Educating them and hearing about their story, that’s first and foremost. It’s also a great time for networking with businesses. It’s amazing for our seniors, but a lot of us vendors have really good relationships with one another. It’s an opportunity for everybody to become more educated.”

As the City of Portage’s Senior Health Fair touches the hearts of many seniors in Northwest Indiana once again, this leaves the department excited about how they will continue to make a difference for the long-term future.

“The best part about this event is that it gets bigger every year,” Bonta said. “Having an annual event like this is a lot of fun for the people who can come in, connect with the vendors, and enjoy lunch together. There’s a wide range of services and tips that help educate our attendees and allow them to learn something they didn’t know when they walked in. It’s great that we’ve started getting residents from not only Portage, but also residents of other local communities.”

The Senior Advisory Committee in the City of Portage is made up of several organizations, some of which are even located outside of Portage. Bonta encourages seniors from throughout the Region to join them in an effort to make residents of Northwest Indiana as healthy as possible.

For more information on the City of Portage, you can visit portagein.gov.