WellKentucky kicked off the 2018-19 school year with yet another successful Well-A-Palooza event.

Well-A-Palooza is a wellness fair that brings together campus organizations that seek to educate and connect with students. The UK campus branch of WellKentucky, an organization concerned with promoting the overall health of students, organized the event with many different campus organizations focusing on the various elements of student wellness: physical, mental, financial and academic.

The event was organized with tables lined up around the Gatton Student Center courtyard. Each organization had free stuff to give out with the completion of activities to bring awareness of the campus resources that students have to achieve wellness in all categories of their lives at UK. WellKentucky provided bags to put all of the giveaway items in, and they also gave out wellness “passports,” which had every organization present at the fair listed. If a student visited at least five different tables and participated in their activities, they got a free t-shirt at the end of their time at the fair.

Along with tables set up with campus organizations, the fair featured free wraps, salads, Crank & Boom ice cream, a cash box where you could catch various coupons and music provided by WRFL. It created a fun, interactive atmosphere where students could become familiar with the on-campus resources available for them to help them through their college careers.

Maria Piva, a freshman neuroscience major, learned firsthand the importance of wellness in all of the categories presented.

“I learned so much here that I didn’t know before about the campus resources,” Piva said. “I didn’t even know that half of these organizations existed on campus, and now I feel much less stressed since there is this whole network of support that I can always turn to if I need it.”

The event’s main goal was to give students a hands-on, personalized experience that was both helpful and fun. At various tables, students could ride a bike that blended smoothies, make their own stress balls, spin a prize wheel, play plinko or make their own messages of hope.

Neely Patel, a Student Wellness Ambassador with WellKentucky, emphasized that the whole event was created with students in mind.

“The goal is to bring awareness to overall health, and the different stations show different aspects that health entails,” Patel said. “I think students get a lot out of it since it’s really interactive. It’s not just listening to speech— you actually get to do stuff.”

This is Patel’s second year working Well-A-Palooza. She said she thinks it is extremely successful and is excited for the future of the event.

The organizations present at Well-A-Palooza were all focused on WellKentucky’s message of “empowering health and wellness for all students.” When times get hard in college, WellKentucky in partnership with the organizations present will be around to make sure that UK’s students stay afloat.