Dancing for health and fun


By Don Shilling

Fair at Chevy Centre offers tips and more

YOUNGSTOWN — Losing weight and getting in shape doesn’t always have to hurt.

“Dancing is one of the best-kept secrets to good health,” Jim Locker told a crowd of line dancers Sunday at a health fair in a meeting room at the Chevrolet Centre.

Locker, who owns Celebrity Dancers, then encouraged the crowd to take two steps to the left, two steps to the right and kick.

Mixing dance with health tips was an important part of the health fair, said Wendy Robinson, community ministry liaison for Warriors Inc. of Youngstown.

“Not only do we want to give them information, but we also want to empower them,” she said.

Health fair organizers wanted to show people that they could have fun and stay in shape. Also, attendees were given one-week passes to some area health clubs and the Youngstown YMCA.

Robinson said she hopes the passes will motivate people to visit the clubs. Or, if they prefer to work out on their own, attendees were given a pedometer.

Warriors Inc. organized the health fair with the help of a $2,500 grant from Ohio Minority Health, a state agency. Warriors Inc. was selected for the grant because of the quality of its proposed program, said Felicia Alexander, director of the Youngstown office of Ohio Minority Health.

She said she was pleased with what she saw Sunday.

Another health fair is planned from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at city hall. It is sponsored by the city health department and Ohio Minority Health.

Merry Kitchen, 60, of Youngstown said she enjoyed what she learned about high blood pressure Sunday from Dr. Darrell Lynn Grace.

“It’s a nice thing to do on a Sunday afternoon,” Kitchen said.

Dr. Grace said she was excited by the opportunity to educate people about the dangers of high blood pressure.

Other booths included the YMCA, which was speaking on lupus and breast cancer; Ohio North East Health System, which was talking about diabetes; and Doris Bullock, a personal trainer.

When there was no dancing, a jazz group, The Unit, entertained people.

Warriors Inc., formed in 1996 to help the community fight crime and gambling, now provides a variety of community programs. It also operates Eagle’s Christian Preschool & Childcare.

It is having a Unity in the Community parade from 10 to 11:30 a.m. April 25. It starts at Midlothian Boulevard and Market Street and ends at the H.O.P.E. Building, 2733 Market St.

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