Children's Health and Safety Fair Brings Community Together

A record breaking 800 attendees from across Lake County and 180 volunteers attended and participated in this year's Children's Health and Safety Fair at Northwestern Medicine Grayslake Outpatient Center. The event featured over 40 interactive, fun and educational exhibits designed to teach children lessons about health and safety. Experts discussed topics ranging from nutrition to animal care.

Complimentary bicycle helmets were fitted and distributed to each child who completed a safety card game. A "Teddy Bear Clinic" was an interactive activity designed to decrease children's fear and apprehension about being hospitalized. In the activity, a teddy bear received treatment in a non-threating environment, and the child got to keep the teddy bear at the end. Children were also invited to climb inside public safety vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks, and have their photos taken with a Flight for Life helicopter, which children and their families watched make its dramatic entrance from the sky.

“Despite the ominous weather, there was a line out the door to get into the event, which really showed us the importance of this event to the community,” said Connie Larson, lead coordinator of the fair at Northwestern Medicine Grayslake Outpatient Center. “We look forward to this family-friendly event each year—it’s an opportunity for us to meet and engage with local community members and to teach and remind children important health and safety information that we feel really makes a difference.”

To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org. To learn more about Northwestern Medicine Grayslake Outpatient Center, visit https://www.nm.org/locations/grayslake-outpatient-center.