Public Health launches Ready & Resilient Community wellness event

Free August 8 event features local health experts, lunch, prizes and children’s activities

Residents across North Big Horn County are invited to spend a day investing in their health, learning practical life skills and connecting with local experts during the first Big Horn County Ready & Resilient Wellness Event on Saturday, Aug. 8, at Lovell High School.

The free event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature educational breakout sessions, lunch, children’s activities, community resource booths and dozens of prize giveaways. Organizers are asking everyone planning to attend to pre-register by July 26 so they can properly prepare food, seating and activities.

According to North Big Horn County Public Health Nurse Kindy Krei, advance registration is one of the keys to making the event successful.

“We really want people to pre-register so we know how much food to prepare, how much space we’ll need and how many children will be attending the kids’ camp,” Krei said. “It helps us plan everything so the day runs smoothly.”

The event was designed around the results of the county’s recent Community Health Needs Assessment, which identified areas where residents wanted more education and resources. Rather than bringing in presenters from around the country, organizers intentionally chose local professionals whenever possible.

“We wanted to keep it as local as possible,” Krei said. “This is really about promoting the amazing experts and organizations we already have here in Big Horn County.”

Among the scheduled presenters are Ali Wagner, who will lead sessions on hormones for both men and women as well as adolescent mental health. Charlie Cordova will teach participants how to build their own personal coping kit, while registered dietitian Haley Schroth of North Big Horn Hospital will present “Nutrition as Medicine.”

Other sessions include the importance of sleep with psychiatric nurse practitioner Mechelle Rivera, along with movement and wellness demonstrations from North Big Horn Hospital’s physical and occupational therapy staff. Additional sessions are still being finalized.

The keynote speaker represents PROSPER Together, an organization that provides practical, evidence-based suicide prevention training to communities across Wyoming. The program emphasizes recognizing warning signs, building connections and giving people the tools to help someone in crisis.

Krei said the PROSPER Together training is one of the best she has ever attended.

“It’s the best suicide training I’ve ever taken, and I’ve taken a lot,” she said.

While organizers hope participants will spend the entire day enjoying the activities, attendance is flexible. However, those who stay engaged throughout the event will have more opportunities to win prizes.

Participants will earn tickets by attending breakout sessions, asking questions and participating in activities. Those tickets will be entered into drawings for more than 45 prizes that will be awarded throughout the day.

People who pre-register will also receive access to a Summer Wellness Challenge Bingo card, allowing them to complete healthy activities before the event and earn even more opportunities for prizes.

Although the program is primarily designed for adults, families are welcome. A supervised kids’ day camp will be available, but children must also be registered in advance so organizers can provide appropriate staffing and activities.

Lunch will be provided free of charge by local firefighters, another example of the community partnerships that helped make the event possible.

Krei hopes the wellness event becomes a regular tradition that alternates between the north and south ends of Big Horn County. Future events would continue using information from county health assessments to provide programs that address the community’s most important health concerns.

“Our goal is to build these events around what people in Big Horn County tell us they need,” she said. “This is really about helping people become healthier, more resilient and better connected with the resources that are available right here in our own communities.”

Pre-registration closes Sunday, July 26. Residents can register by scanning the QR code printed with this article or on event posters throughout the area. The event is free to attend, but organizers encourage everyone interested to register early to help ensure adequate seating, meals and children’s programming for all participants.