By Angela Coggs
First time attendee, Kendra Newton-Francisco
On Sunday, October 26, 2014, in partnership with Healthy Rialto, the 3rd Annual My Hair, My Health Wellness Conference took place at Rialto Middle School, 1262 W. Rialto Avenue, Rialto CA. 92376. Doors opened at 1:00 and the event was from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The event was hosted by Bronica Martindale-Taylor, Teslyn Henry-King, and Deborah Robertson.
My Hair My Health 2014
celebrated beauty and wellness inside and out. There were interactive discussions covering some of the most pressing and current issues surrounding hair, culture, fitness concerns, and general wellness for African American women and their families.
Even the youngest attendees participated in quality age appropriate fun, activities, and treated to a healthy snack while they enjoyed the scheduled activities in the Kidz Corner.
The event also included the following: Rialto farmer’s market vouchers, delicious recipe demonstrations, fun physical activity demonstrations, a photo gallery display, and hair models.
The event was organized by the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Program, San Bernardino County Public Health. The Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch (NEOPB) is a statewide movement of local, state and national partners collectively working toward improving the health status of low-income Californians through increased fruit and vegetable consumption and daily physical activity. Multiple venues are used to facilitate behavior change in the homes, schools, worksites, and communities of low-income Californians to create environments that support fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity. The mission of the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch (NEOPB) is to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity in California residents through education and other strategies.
First time attendee, Kendra Newton-Francisco, stated that she thought the event was inspirational and a huge success. “From the time I walked in the door, to see so many hair styles and textures were amazing.” When asked about her favorite part of the event she could not just choose one part. “I really enjoyed the Q&A session. I learned a lot. I didn’t realize that so many other African American women shared my concerns and issues about their hair.”
As a new member of the Sister Locs community, she was impressed with the products at the Lovelylocs Natural Hair Care Products booth. “I loved their booth and their products. I enjoyed visiting all the booths. They were very inspirational. Another thing that was great is that both my six and seven year old sons loved the Spinach Cranberry Salad. They’ve been eating it ever since. I look forward to next year’s event.”