Office of Community Engagement & Service Joins Local Organizations for Healthy Soul Food Cooking Demonstration and Health Fair April 8 in Waco

CES, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District and Delta Sigma Theta team up to promote healthy living

Contact: Ramona Curtis, Office of Community Engagement & Service, 254-710-1294
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WACO, Texas (March 30, 2017) – During National Public Health Week April 3-9, the Office of Community Engagement & Service at Baylor University, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District and Waco Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. are teaming up to sponsor the Healthy Soul Food Cooking Demonstration and Health Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at the Waco Multipurpose Center, 1020 Elm Avenue in the historic African-American center of Waco.

A diversity of organizations will be on hand to promote healthy living in a fun and energetic way and bring awareness to nutrition-related diseases that affect the African-American community, such as diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure and obesity. The day will consist of nutrition and mental health sessions, health screenings, physical activity sessions and food demonstrations, which includes two cooking demonstrations by Chef Sean Perrodin of Southern Creole Foods and iCreole of Beaumont.

“The health fair and healthy soul food cooking demonstration is to raise awareness, engage in healthy activity, learn new ways of cooking the cultural foods you love, meet friends, health providers and so much more,” said Ramona Curtis, director for community engagement and initiatives at Baylor.

Activities include Hip-Hop Zumba, taste tasting, gardening, jump rope, hula-hoop and more. Learning essentials include keeping the “Soul” in your food, assessment on choosing healthier options, heart healthy assessment and a guest lecture from a local physician. Health services include BMI, blood pressure and blood glucose checks as well as HIV testing.

The Office of Community Engagement and Service at Baylor University provides the campus-wide infrastructure for coordinating, supporting and advancing informed community engagement with the intention of leveraging the University’s collective influence toward promoting positive social change.

For more information, contact Ramona Curtis at 254-710-1294 or Ramona_Curtis@baylor.edu.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.