The Wellness Center at Gress Chiropractic and Riverside Athletic Club co-sponsored the second annual Kids Day on Saturday, May 11.
Kids Day was a free event where families had fun together while learning about healthy lifestyle decisions and exploring resources available in the Merrill Community.
“The turnout was beyond our expectations,” said Paul Kientz, owner of Riverside Club. “To see so many local families and businesses get involved was uplifting.”
Kids got to enjoy a bounce house, petting zoo, fire truck & ambulance, Poncho the K-9 deputy (and his partner Deputy Joel Prahl), dodgeball games, gymnastics, computerized spinal scans, prize giveaways (donated by many local businesses), face painting, healthy snacks, and so much more!
A couple of new attractions this year were balloon animals by Whimsy Studios and a mock, teen bedroom for parents to tour, set up by Healthy Minds Coalition of Lincoln County, to show where teens could potentially hide drugs.
Monetary donations were also collected that go to the Merrill Small Business Group Scholarship Fund.
Dr. Kathy Gress from The Wellness Center states, “We had an even bigger and better Kids Day than last year! We were able to offer more activities and information for the kids and parents. Lots of great information was distributed on health & wellness, safety, and resources available in our community. We are also so grateful for all the donations from so many of our local businesses.”
Over 450 people attended the one-day event. Many volunteers assisted in making sure the kids had fun, that parents got needed education on pediatric health and wellness, and that there were plenty of activities to keep everyone hopping from one thing to the next.
“We had great weather and had an even bigger crowd than last year! We’ve already started planning 2020 Kids Day.” adds Kienitz.
For more information on participating in the 2020 event, call the Wellness Center at Gress Chiropractic or the Riverside Athletic Club.