Four years ago, Natalie Wilson had a different last name and just a dream for some kind of event to promote health.
Having received her doctor of chiropractic degree in 2007, she along with a few key members of the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce founded the Seal Beach Health Fair.
“We wanted to do an event in a different part of Seal Beach, and as a new chiropractor, I wanted something which was health related,” she said.
The College Park East neighborhood and the Shops at Rossmoor in particular, are well suited to hosting an event. Abundant parking, high visibility on Seal Beach Boulevard, and easy access for both Leisure World and College Park East made it ideal.
In 2007, the event was just about 40 vendors and a few people who turned out on a fairly cold and blustery March Saturday. Undaunted, the Chamber and Wilson have continued to produce the event up to this year, on March 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event has grown to over a hundred vendors, nearly a thousand visitors and great visibility for all participants. Jill Ingram, assistant city manager, and Tim Kelsey, Community Services director, saw the advantage of joining forces with the Chamber and now the city is a co-sponsor of the event.
This allows the city, which used to hold a competing event at the Mary Wilson Senior Center, to concentrate its efforts to a single event.
Thus, from a simple health fair, the event has expanded to become the Health and Fitness Expo.
One of the major participants since the inception, Todd DeVoe and the Citizens Emergency Response Team, usually brings out the mobile command center for the event and works to sign up new volunteers.
Vendors from personal training studios and gyms like Beach Fitness and Anytime Fitness have a presence, with other businesses and non-profits like the Seal Beach Animal Care Center and Main Street Cyclery have joined for the last several years.
This year, Dendreon Corporation has come aboard with the city and the Chamber as the title sponsor of this year’s Health & Fitness Expo. This year’s theme, “Aware of Your Health,” aligns with many health, fitness and prevention campaigns.
Provenge, Dendreon’s FDA approved prostate cancer drug is tremendously innovative and represents a huge leap forward in antigen specific cancer treatments.
Dendreon is excited to be a good corporate citizen and engage the community in a variety of ways. They also have committed to being a gold level sponsor for the Seal Beach Run this year.
“Part of what I like most about the Health and Fitness Expo this year is that we have made it more inclusive for many types of businesses and non-profit organizations,” Wilson said. “Also, we have now gotten on people’s calendars and they look forward to the event and ask about it even before the New Year.”
Wilson will retire from the board and the leadership of the event after this year. At eight months pregnant by March 19, she has done an amazing job keeping it together and moving forward. So if you see her in her office, Full Circle Chiropractic at 148 #E Main St., or even just walking down Main Street, be sure to let her know, “thanks” for bringing a new, annual event which will continue to bring great exposure to health and fitness in our community.
Vendor booths are available now at $50 for Chamber members and non-profits, $100 for other businesses.
For more information on the event, contact the Chamber of Commerce office by phone at (562)799-0179 or by e-mail at director@sealbeachchamber.org.
