A community event promoting health and well being is now in its 10th year.
The Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce’s Healthy Living Festival will be at Dodd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free event features vendors, fun activities and medical screenings, according to Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angela Adams.
The event started 10 years ago by Nancy Cowser, Alice Vicenti and Dr. Setu Vora, Adams said.
Vora, who then worked at Backus Hospital, saw many patients suffering from preventable conditions. This inspired him to create a community effort for preventing disease, where lifestyle, diet and exercise were treated like medicine, he said.
How it grew
The first Healthy Living Festival was held at Backus Hospital’s Outpatient Care Center, with only a dozen partners, a nutritionist and a yoga instructor alongside medical professionals. It’s now grown to 100 healthcare partners, vendors, and more, Adams said.
The Healthy Living Festival gained traction after the first year and was moved to Norwich Free Academy for a few years, before arriving at Dodd Stadium.
“Every year, there seemed to be someone new within the community that saw the value of being together for a common cause,” Vora said.
A wide swath of the community wanted to participate, from schools and doctors to the Norwich Police and Fire departments. Attendance has also grown over the years, and locals often ask when the next one is, Vora said.
“To sustain it for 10 years is a testament to Eastern Connecticut,” he said.
Health impact
The festival has lasted because it’s a way to provide medical resources that’s convenient for the community, Adams said.
“There are so many doctor’s offices that aren’t taking on new patients, and people don’t have insurance, so they don’t know how to get the help that they need,” she said. “This has given them additional resources on where to go.”
Offerings include vaccinations, blood pressure screenings, eye exams, oral cancer screenings, bone density testing, and educating people on healthcare, Vora said.
“Sometimes it’s not easy to quantify the immediate impact of that,” he said. “But even if you help one person take the right health action, it goes toward fulfilling the mission.”
In the past, professionals conducting screenings have caused at least two people to be checked for oral cancer, and at least one woman for breast cancer, so it’s making a tangible impact, said Adams, who lost her brother to cancer.
The Five M model
Vora, who is now the chief medical officer for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, still provides the keynote talk, which relates to his philosophy of the Five M model, which are simple habits to help improve health.
“Menu” means eating five servings of different colors of fruits and vegetables daily, “Mind” means 15 minutes of meditation or breath awareness daily, and “Move” means 30 minutes of exercise a day. “Make” means people need a creative outlet to give purpose, and “Meet” encourages social connections in real life, Vora said.
“It does not involve meds, which is the sixth M,” he said. “That is purposely left out, because we only use meds when we need to.”
New and returning activities
This year’s festival will have Norwich Youth and Family Services running the children’s section for the first time, and an art show at Artspace in downtown Norwich. Returning favorites include an international variety of food trucks, and a car show.
Another returning event is the Spin-A-Thon, led by Meghan Dunn of Megaphone Fitness, in partnership with Norwich Fitness Center and GOAT Physical Therapy this year. Each year, the Spin-A-Thon, which has participants taking on challenges on spin bikes, has raised thousands for St. Vincent de Paul Place, Adams said.
For the future, Vora hopes the event grows organically, while also increasing collaboration with local artists. The event should also do more to encourage music and dance, he said.
