If you’re looking to make good on your New Year’s resolution for healthy life choices, look no further than the William Way LGBT Community Center.
From 1-4 p.m. Feb. 18, the center will host its first-ever Wellness Fair.
The event, which is sponsored by Optimal Sports Health Club, will feature free work-out sessions and healthy-lifestyle vendors.
The fair is open to the public and, according to development director Michael Pomante, could become an annual event.
Pomante said community members have suggested the center host such an event.
“We take a lot of community feedback, and people said it would be great to have a wellness fair and that William Way would be a great place to do it,” he said, adding that Optimal seemed the perfect fit for host.
“They have done an amazing job these past two years to reach out to the center,” he said. “They are not only LGBT supporters, but also supporters of the center.”
Optimal named the center its 2013 winter beneficiary, with a portion of the proceeds from new memberships in the four months leading up to Feb. 1 going to William Way.
Pomante said interest in the fair has ballooned in the past few weeks.
“The advertising has really blown up, especially on social media,” Pomante said. “When we give people more detail, they get really excited.”
Because this is William Way’s inaugural wellness festival, vendors were not charged for their space.
The lobby of the center will be filled with tables, while low-impact fitness classes hosted by Optimal fitness trainers will be held in the ballroom and nutrition classes in the Philadelphia Room.
“People can stop in whenever they want and if they’re interested in attending both a nutrition class and a fitness class, they can because they are held every hour,” Pomante said.
Therapists who specialize in LGBT mental health and wellness will also be on hand to give free advice. Guests can also partake in raffles, such as for a three-month gym membership to Optimal and gift certificates to healthy restaurants.
Pomante said the festival would also focus on preventative measures with the main message of “get healthy, get fit and get well.”
The event also provides an opportunity for potential new members of the center to learn about the agency’s wellness work.
Pomante anticipates up to 200 people will attend the event.
“For those hours, the center will be booming and full of life,” he said.
For more information, visit www.waygay.org.