Calgary Korean Health Fair 2016 CN Dreams Interview

Calgary Korean Health Fair is confirmed for Saturday, September 10th.

Date: 11:00am to 3:00pm 

Location:  Calgary Christian School (5029, 26 Ave SW)

There were alot of interest for their inaugural event last year as it offered so many helpful and variety of activities and programs and their second annual event this year looks even more promising with so full of exciting contents.   Our newspaper had an opportunity to inter the Calgary Korean Health Advocacy Society(CKHAS)’s president Leeyong Khil (pharmacist) to learn about the upcoming event this year.  (Reporter: Minsik Kim)

Please introduce your organization.  

We just became a registered non-profit organization after successfully hosting the very first Calgary Korean Health Fair in Alberta last year.  And this all began because a group of people who have the passion for wanting to help those who cannot access available health/social services due to language barriers and cultural differences.  

Currently we have 16 committee members in the planning team and will recruit approximately 60 volunteers for this event.  Our volunteers come from various ages and backgrounds.  We aim to help Calgarians to better understand available health-and-wellness- related information and services, and to help them to learn about their common health issues, and to provide networking opportunities to exchange knowledge and build connections among Korean Canadian communities.  

What other plans do you have? 

Our biggest and foremost goal is establishing an annual health fair with various themes.  We feel rewarding and responsible for all the interest and encouragement many have shown us.  We are planning to have a website up and running to provide health information, publish booklets such as the one we offered last year called, ‘Korean/English Medical Handbook’, and offer workshops/seminars with health care professionals.  Furthermore, although it will be a long-term goal, eventually we would like to offer counseling and services escorting people to hospitals, health, and social service organizations.  Also, offering an opportunity to connect students with health care professionals to explore various health career options. 

Any difficulties running the organization?

As we are a brand new non-profit organization and consists of volunteers, we are in dare need of more volunteers and funding.  Currently, we are relying on generous donations from the Calgary Korean Association, Calgary Korean Lions Club, Calgary Korean Seniors Association, Calgary Korean Scholarship Foundation, and other Korean organizations.  And luckily, many volunteers are donating their own time to plan and prepare for the upcoming Calgary Korean Health Fair.  However, in order to expand our reach, we are in dire need to secure more human and financial support, thus we are working hard on developing networking and expanding our reach in various health/social services professionals. We would urge many health professionals near the Calgary area to participate in the good cause.

Please tell us about the Korean Health Fair on September 10th.  

We gained a lot of confidence after having more than 200 Koreans participating, and words of encouragement in our fair despite the bad weather last year.  This year, It will be on Saturday, September 10th from 11 am to 3 pm at the Calgary Christian School (5029 26 Ave SW, Calgary, AB).   The health fair is for everyone.  It is open to anyone, from an exchange student who came to Calgary yesterday, to someone who landed in Toronto 50 years ago.  We will have more than 30 booths set up, one on one consultation with pharmacists, smoking cessation consultations, and information regarding many health services.  Also, there will be dental screening services for kids under 5 years old, fluoride varnish, prostate cancer screening blood tests for 40 years and older, dietician consultations, blood type tests, blood pressure/blood sugar tests will be offered for free as well as  haircut, therapeutic yoga and stretching.   And there will be facepainting, balloon art, family  photos, childcare services and door prizes to be given out.  There will be workshops about stroke and dementia offered by Korean speaking eastern medicine doctor and a western medicine doctor.    

Any other comments?

There is a saying sound mind sound body.  We would like to help in aiding in healthier life of Korean community members.  And our Calgary Korean Health Fair is the event for everyone.  Please take this opportunity to learn and understand more about your health.  

Lastly, if you are interested in donating or advertisement opportunities, please email us at info@ckhas.ca.  We are also recruiting volunteers (volunteer@ckhas.ca) For more information, please visit our website at www.ckhas.ca or Facebook at www.facebook.com/calgarykoreanhealthfair.    Please don’t hesitate to contact us with ideas on our activities and upcoming health fairs.  Thank you.  

Published: August 26, 2016

Original Article: http://www.cndreams.com/news/news_read.php?code1=2345&code2=1&code3=270&idx=17720&page=0