North Royalton resident and Giant Eagle employee Thomas Stredney walked the North Royalton Health Fair & Family Expo Sept. 29 like the hundreds of others in attendance. He too visited with the many health and wellness vendors on-hand that morning, but there was one thing that really stuck out to him – the free breakfast courtesy of City Council President Larry Antoskiewicz.
“About 28 years ago, I went through a divorce and I was homeless for about a year and half and didn’t know where my next meal was going to come from. It was a very humbling time,” Stredney said. “So the free meal today was a nice thing to see.”
Now married, employed and “stable,” as he puts it, Stredney is the embodiment of what the North Royalton Health Fair & Family Expo represents – providing free health and wellness information and services to those who may not have access to them.
Back for its ninth year at North Royalton High School, the event featured a range of activities all aimed at educating attendees, including free health screenings for hearing, balance, bone density, blood pressure and glucose and Scoliosis, meet-and-greets with more than 65 health, wellness and community organization vendors, hourly prize raffle drawings and grand raffle baskets, demonstrations by health and safety officials and an American Red Cross Blood Drive. Flu shots were also offered along with health presentations. NRHS grad Dylan Dapsis served as emcee.
Families eagerly departed the high school parking lot at 9:15 a.m. for the North Royalton City Schools Turkey Trot. The 5K Bear Run and Family Wellness Walk with Dr. Charita Ray of University Hospitals Parma Medical Center also proved successful.
“It’s good to talk about things that are healthy with our kids,” said Susan Schumacher, mom to local third grader Zandra.
Along with Zandra’s friend, Hannah, the trio participated in the Turkey Trot.
“We signed up for it because it is good to do exercise and I thought it would be fun,” Zandra said.
Other Expo highlights included a visit from the Southwest General Healing Paws Pet Visitation program featuring black lab mixes Searra and Kaylee and their handlers, Diane and Dan Straub. The dogs are certified therapy canines and make regular visits to patients receiving chemotherapy, recovering from surgery and visiting the hospital for a range of medical needs. The Parma Animal Shelter was also in attendance educating attendees about adoption, fostering and volunteering.
In the high school gymnasium, the “Pint Sized Heroes” program welcomed blood donors like Lauren Vonderhaar, who’s donated blood more than two dozen times. Donation took roughly five to seven minutes and medical staff took one pint per person.
North Royalton High School sophomore and 2019 Miss North Coast’s Outstanding Teen Madison Yuzwa was also on-hand spreading word about her “F.I.T. to be Confident” platform teaching three action items for the road to health – exercise, healthy eating and positive mindful thinking. Other Expo visitors included City Hall offices and departments, local law enforcement, civic groups, regional services like Cornerstone of Hope, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Cuyahoga County Vets Services, the Epilepsy Association, Girls on the Run, the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System and vendors like Discount Drug Mart, Royalton Woods, Holistic Halo Salt Spa, Century Cycles, Leimkuehler Prosthetics and Orthotics and Cuyahoga Valley Career Center. More than 65 vendors total were represented and distributed literature, product samples, health tools like BMI calculators and marketed items to event attendees. The event served as true one-stop-shopping for health and wellness needs.
“I always learn something new,” said event-goer and resident Judy Young. “I read over all the information I receive at home and always get good general information about my health.”

        

By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer