Mark your calendars: Teen Wellness Fair set for March 7.
By Melissa Cole
How does an afternoon of face painting, bingo, planting, and therapy dogs sound? If your answer is “Sign me up,” then mark your calendar for the 3rd Annual Teen Wellness Fair: A Mindful Getaway. A day to step out of stress.
The event takes place Saturday, March 7, in the Hall High School cafeteria from 1-4 p.m.
The Wellness Fair isn’t just for teens; it’s being organized, planned, and run by teens too. The event will be led by members of Community of Concern, a group that has been active in town for about 20 years. Community of Concern is made up of PTO committees from West Hartford public high schools and middle schools, working together to raise awareness about issues that impact the health and wellness of youth in our community. The organization includes both dedicated adult volunteers and teen leaders and ambassadors.
Teen leaders Kyla Cheng (left) and Anastasiia Verliemko (right) with Community of Concern parent volunteer Rebekah Seaton. Photo credit: Melissa Cole
Many of the topics and panels this group tackles are heavy, from keeping kids drug- and alcohol-free to educating school communities about the challenges adolescents face that impact their health and wellness.
Parent volunteer Rebekah Seaton says that while those conversations are important and necessary, they can also feel intense.
“A lot of the topics are heavy topics,” she said. “So we wanted to do something kind of joyful and fun – something where we could bring teens to a place where they could have fun together and unwind from the stress they deal with.”
And that’s where the Teen Wellness Fair comes in. It’s three stress-free, fun-filled hours with peers from all over the town. The event is geared toward middle and high school kids but all families are welcome to join in.
Anastasiia Verliemko, a teen ambassador with Community of Concern, and Kyla Cheng, a teen leader, have been working hard alongside the rest of the teen leadership team to bring this event to life. From meeting weekly to designing and distributing flyers, choosing the theme, and planning activities and decorations. The teens have played a hands-on role in every detail.
“So we’re going to have a lot of activities like henna, face painting, gaming. We’re inviting a crochet club, they will lead an activity and maybe people will learn to crochet. We’re also having a book tasting station so maybe a person can pick out a new book they can read,” Anastasiia said.
Kyla Cheng has been reaching out to student clubs focused on health and wellness, inviting them to participate in the event. She’s also been contacting local middle and high schools to help spread the word about the upcoming fair.
“I hope that people of all ages come, because mental health is a very important topic,” she said. “I feel like we talk about it more in high school because it becomes more of an issue, but it’s just as important to talk about in middle school. I’m hoping students from Bristow, King Philip, and Sedgwick come, too,” said Kyla.
The teen volunteers have also been busy contacting local businesses for donations. Joey’s Pizza and Luna Pizza are generously contributing food, and Jerry’s Artarama has donated gift cards.
Last year, about 200 people attended the Teen Wellness Fair. Including roughly 50 volunteers, around 250 people were engaged in the event overall. This year, organizers are hoping for an even bigger turnout, and they are encouraging people to spread the word. Kyla mentioned two other perks of the fair: “I recommend people come because we’re also giving out goody bags, and the event is completely free!”
Parent volunteer Rebekah said she’s incredibly proud of all the teens working hard to make the event a success. She’s impressed by how they’ve handled every detail and how well they represent the amazing things teens are capable of.
“There are a lot of moving parts, and it’s really neat to see,” she said. “I just love listening to them articulate so beautifully what they’re doing, how involved they are, and how invested they are in making this happen. It’s just great.”
Again, the Teen Wellness Fair: A Mindful Getaway is free. It’s Saturday, March 7th from 1-4 p.m. in the Hall High School Cafeteria.
To RSVP to attend the Teen Wellness Fair, click here. You can come the day of the fair without RSVP’ing, but saving your spot helps organizers plan for food.
Organizers are still looking for high school volunteers, and you can sign up through this link.
Courtesy image
And here’s a list of all the teens involved in making this event a fun, stress-free day.
2026 Teen Wellness Leaders
Summer Bowe Kyla Cheng Izzy Foster Abby Jarrett Petrina Kenyange Marley Pitter
Teen Wellness Ambassadors
Emmanuala Mordukai Anastasiia Verlienko
2025 Teen Wellness Leaders
Alina Singh Anastasiia Verlienko Summer Bowe Joanna Chang Kennedy Simwenyi Reinel Bolling Petrina Kenyange Emmanuala Mordukai Marley Pitter Sue Tiky
Community of Concern member organizers for both years:
Gigi Belen Trisha Pitter Rebekah Seaton Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.
