Trevecca hosted a back-to-school health fair at Napier Elementary on Friday, September 27, offering a variety of interactive stations focused on health and holistic well-being.
Made possible by the Nashville Predators’ Helper Grant program, the event was designed to provide a wide range of resources at various stations hosted by different departments from Trevecca, including the exercise science, nursing and counseling programs.
Trevecca’s Urban Farm also provided a station to provide information about food scarcity, gardening and the concept of food deserts, and to educate students about growing their own food in urban environments.
Dr. Aaron Hall, head of Trevecca’s Exercise Science Department, explained that the health fair was a collaborative effort aimed at strengthening ties and addressing urgent needs for neighbors in South Nashville. The Napier neighborhood has one of the highest poverty rates in the area, with 94.8% of students in Napier Elementary being economically disadvantaged, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.
“We were really excited when this opportunity presented itself,” Hall said. “We saw it as a great chance to engage Trevecca students with the local community.”
According to Hall, in addition to benefiting Napier’s students and staff, the fair provided opportunities for Trevecca students to apply classroom learning in a practical way and to build leadership skills through service.
“We really wanted our students to put their education and faith into practice,” Hall said. “This health fair allowed them to do that in a way that directly impacted the lives of kids in our community.”
The nursing students who took part were from a class on community health, taught by Christy Twining, who understood the value of students getting out of the classroom and into the field.
“It is important for our students to be aware of issues in the community so that as they graduate into professional practice, they can understand and advocate for improvements that will improve health outcomes,” Twining said. “Our students said that this experience gave them joy and hope. It was a fun time for them to interact with children in the community and it built their confidence in their ability to educate and build rapport with clients in a safe environment.”
Hall hopes that this event will be the first of many collaborations between Trevecca and other local organizations.
“Our goal is to continue building these partnerships and expand our outreach efforts,” Hall said. “This was just the beginning of what we hope will be a sustained relationship between Trevecca and the neighborhoods around our campus.”
Rebekah Warren, Senior Copywriter Office Of Marketing and Communications – Trevecca Nazarene University – www.trevecca.edu
