The Town of Cutler Bay’s Youth Advisory Council conducted a Youth Health and Wellness Fair on Friday, Apr. 27, at Cutler Bay Senior High, thanks in part to a $1,500 City Catalyst Grant from the Florida League of Mayors and Florida Business Watch.
The City Catalyst Grants program supports projects or initiatives that help build community and/or enhance the lives of city residents.
Grants can be awarded directly to the city or to a partner organization, such as a kids sports or neighborhood association, but the application must come from a current member of the Florida League of Mayors.
Cutler Bay’s Youth Advisory Council came up with the idea for the event, which was intended to increase youth awareness of services available to them and their rights related to confidential healthcare.
Mayor Peggy Bell, town council liaison to the Youth Advisory Council, was impressed by their effort.
“The town annually hosts health-related events targeting older adults and families,” Mayor Bell said. “However, we admittedly tend to overlook the different needs of older youth. This project is one of several new projects implemented to demonstrate that we are listening to our older youth and desire to improve the quality of life for all residents at every stage of life.”
The event took place at the Cutler Bay Senior High School with all students in attendance, so that students could visit the information booths and participate in the various wellness screenings.
The vendors in attendance included the Cutler Bay Policing Unit, New Leaf Chiropractic Miami, Short Chef, BeHIP, Baptist Health South Florida, Trauma Resolution Center, Sony, Thread of Life International Inc., CBT College, enFAMILIA, and Community Health of South Florida.
Providing entertainment was the SharkPAC Live Band, and Short Chef prepared healthy treats for the students to taste during an interactive meal prep demonstration.
Students were encouraged to visit all 12 booths and the first 100 students to do so received gift bags full of health promotional materials.
The town’s partnership with Cutler Bay High was appreciated by officials as was the dedicated support of LaShanda West, the iPrep Academy leader and faculty advisor for the Youth Advisory Council.
