Brookhaven Courier

Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Chris Vivero A nurse from RHD Hospital administers a bone density test at the Women's Day Fair March 8. The bone density test was popular among fair attendees.

More than 200 women and men attended the second annual International Women's Day Fair March 8 at Brookhaven College. Students and faculty, male and female, were exposed to different issues concerning women, including: education on breast cancer, cervical cancer, bone density and depression. There was also jewelry and candles to purchase.

The most visited table was the RHD Hospital bone density test, which checks if a person is at risk for osteoporosis. More than 50 students and faculty waited in line to have their feet checked. Two nurses from RHD, Kay Powell and Candy Wedgewood, took the readings of interested individuals.

The machine looked like a foot massager, and when the patient sat down the nurse would spray their foot with a cleaning agent and place it in the machine.

Mildred Kelley, campus nurse and one of the organizers of the fair, said, "We tried to bring programs here that would help prevent problems when the students are young." She added that problems like osteoporosis and breast cancer, if caught early, are more treatable.

Julie Hanson, school alliance coordinator for outreach services, said, "The overall goal [of the fair] is to have the community come into our college and bring groups together that might otherwise not be aware of certain issues."

Groups from the community that were present included Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International, RHD, Mosaic and Girls Inc.

According to Folashadi Oni, an outreach specialist for Girls Inc., the program is designed for girls ages 6-18. They offer after school and all-day summer programs in Dallas County.

The group is a non-profit organization funded by the United Way, individuals, corporations, foundations and government agencies.

"Fifty percent of our girls come from homes below poverty level, and 68 percent [of the total] come from single family homes," Oni said. "The girls take a trip to a different college every year to get a hands-on look at college life. They recently went to New York and New Mexico."

Hanson said outreach services along with Student Programs and Resources and Kelley organized the event.

"We also had support from career development and Phi Theta Kappa," she added.

Hanson said right now there are a few tables that gave contributions, but the space was offered for free. They also provided lunch and a jazz combo that performed at the end.

All tables provided pamphlets, and the line of attendees didn't die off until later in the day. Hanson said she hopes Brookhaven will continue to have the fair.

"We would love to have it bigger, and what we need for that to happen is more support on campus," Hanson said. "If we had more student groups and more faculty to help spread the word and organize it, we could make it bigger."

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