A day full of information, screenings and activities will be held this Saturday, May 13, by the Haitian-American Community Coalition of SW Florida for the entire community to enjoy.

HACC Scholarship Chair Betsy Vaughn said although the Haitian-American Family Fun Day & Health Fair has been held in the past, COVID interrupted the annual event.

“It’s part of the vision and mission of HACC. We do things for the benefit of the community and actually it goes beyond. We focus on the Haitian-American community, (but) this is a community event, of course everybody is welcome. Everybody will find value in coming out for the various activities and lots of information that they can get,” she said.

This year the Haitian Heritage Month Family Fun Day & Health Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Rock Church of Fort Myers, 940 Tarpon St., Fort Myers. The admission and activities are free. The Rock Church will be holding a fundraiser the same day selling a barbecue lunch for attendees to purchase.

Another vendor will be selling Haitian snacks and drinks at the event.

The day of activities includes a plethora of vendors for the health fair, including Lee Health and the pediatrics Lee Physicians Group. There will be a variety of screenings done, such as glucose testing, blood pressure, hearing and vision.

Vaughn said there will also be medical professionals there to answer questions and provide information on such topics as smoking, sexually transmitted diseases, strokes, Social Security disability, Medicare and Medicaid.

“It’s a huge variety in addition to the ones that we have from Lee Health,” she said, adding that health care organizations will provide information on particular services they offer. “It’s a health fair, fun day. It’s huge on the health aspect.”

Another huge component of the day is inviting Lee County Supervisor of Elections to provide attendees with the opportunity to register if they are eligible. Vaughn said those who, in the past, registered to vote by mail are no longer registered unless they register again.

The School District of Lee County will also be in attendance to share information about such topics as the proximity plan and the Head Start program.

“A lot of people in the community, their children qualify for Early Head Start, or Head Start,” Vaughn said, adding that VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten) classes are also free. “That is always very important because we have a lot of families, many have younger children, and they can get information on that.”

Others that will be in attendance include Goodwill Industries, Fort Myers Police Department, Harry Chapin Food Bank and the Lee County Library System. Vaughn said attendees can sign up for a library card and free books will be given to kids.

“It’s a big deal,” Vaughn said of the event. “We really spend a lot of time getting people to come in. They all have something to share and some education.”

The day also includes fun with bounce houses for the children, the fire department, a deejay playing music, several performances and door prizes. Vaughn said they will have a piece of paper for attendees to fill out with their name, number and email to receive free prizes.

“Every half hour we will pull a couple of names and they can get their prize,” she said.

The event will also include a special presentation by Dr. Arthur Boyer on Haitian history.

Vaughn said there will be something for everyone of all ages at the Family Fun Day & Health Fair.

“It is heartwarming to see how many people come out and want to help,” she said. “They want to share the information that they have and really do community service.”