Legion pushes for youth health and safety at expo

OAKWOOD - With a goal of promoting safety, health and wellness among Hall County's youth, American Legion Post 328 in Flowery Branch held its first ever health and safety expo this weekend.

Johnny Varner, Jr. with Legion Post 328 said the Legion's Children & Youth Committee devised the idea of a small expo to give students a chance to learn more about wellness and safety outside the classroom

With assistance from the JROTC programs at East Hall and Gainesville High Schools, those who attended the event had a chance to visit different booths at the expo and get information on everything from bike and water safety to bullying to nutrition.

While the idea was to educate kids, Varner said his hope was that adults might benefit from the information their children learned and took home.

"You know, youth have a way of articulating things that might make an adult think for a minute, 'I should consider that' or 'Oh yeah, you're right,'" said Varner.

Among the agencies that participated in Saturday's event at the Academies of Discovery were Distrct 2 Public Health, offering heigh and weight/BMI screenings; the American Red Cross conducting emergency/evacuation preparedness instruction; and Safe Kids of Gainesville-Hall County offering information on water, bike and car seat safety. Both the Hall County Fire Department and Sheriff's Office participated in the event, as well.

He said the first Children & Youth Health and Safety Expo should pave the way for similar events in the future.

"We've established a working group going into next year with these resources," said Varner. "We have a core group now with health and safety in mind...this will be an annual event."