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Around Town
March 16, 2022 • Community News – St. Louis County • www.mycnews.com
Free, pop-up health fairs being held at the Emerson Park and North Hanley Transit Centers Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT), Metro Transit, St. Clair County Transit District, Bureau of Transit Police, Metro Transit Public Safety, Chestnut Health Systems University of Missouri–St. Louis and AARP in St. Louis are teaming up to host free, pop-up health fairs at the Emerson Park and North Hanley Transit Centers – on Friday, March 18. These events are part of a joint effort encouraging transit riders, and the community at large, to “Step into a Healthier You in 2022 with Transit” by providing access to an array of health and wellness resources and reinforcing how the region’s interconnected public transit system gets residents where they need to go – including doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies,
dentists, workout facilities, grocery stores and other establishments that promote health and wellness. The pop-up health fair at the Emerson Park Transit Center (929 15th Street, East St. Louis, Illinois) will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the one at the North Hanley Transit Center (4300 North Hanley Road) will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those in attendance can gain access to a wide variety of resources ranging from primary physician visits during 30-minute time slots via the Chestnut Mobile Unit, healthy foods, COVID-19 vaccinations, at-home test kits and dental health supplies to giveaways from AARP in St. Louis, information about job opportunities in transit, free weekly passes from Move by BJC (a fitness center in St. Louis Cortex) and a wealth of information about community programming. Different resources will be available at the two health fairs. For a complete listing of what can be accessed where, visit www.cmt-stl.org. “The transit system in our region can get people where they need to go – while offering a physical
activity component that isn’t top of mind for many,” commented Kimberly Cella, executive director for Citizens for Modern Transit. “These events will provide access to a wide variety of free wellness resources while educating those in attendance about the many benefits of using transit.” As part of the morning commute on Friday, March 18, transit ambassadors and other volunteers will be at several different Metro Transit Centers handing out stress balls that say, “Ride and Relax” and information about the lunchtime health fairs taking place later that day. This is part of the partnering organizations ongoing efforts designed to interact with riders, strengthen relationships and reinforce their collective commitment to a safe, comfortable, customer-focused transit experience. To learn more about “Step into a Healthier You in 2022 with Transit,” visit www.cmt-stl.org, www. metrostlouis.org or www.scctd.org.
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Still In This Together:
By Vicki Bahr
All in the course of one God-given day
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The first text was adorable. Twin two-year-old grandboys were having a conversation while our daughter was a room away in the bathroom. “Where mama go?” asked Brady when he realized she wasn’t in the room. Ellis replied, “Mama need more coffee.” I laughed out loud at their cute interaction, very aware that just a few months ago, before the wonderfully patient help from their speech pathologist, those words wouldn’t have been uttered. But I barely had time to respond with a heart emoji and a laughing face emoji before I heard another ding on my phone. “Mom, I swear I was only in the bathroom a minute, ninety seconds tops, and this is what I found when I walked back into their bedroom. And there was the unmistakable evidence: a picture of the boys’ white bedroom wall, enhanced with multi-colored spirals and squiggles, curlicues and crooked lines. The boys both had ultra-washable crayons in their hands, but when asked who had colored on the wall, Ellis said, “No Ellis, Brady.” And red-rubber-booted Brady blamed his stuffed bear. Oh, there’s so much learning going on during the twelve months that toddlers are two. And most of the learning is by the parents of those two-year-olds. No, nothing is sacred. No, you can’t expect to have anything nice until they’re ten, if then. No, the words ultra-washable don’t necessarily mean your wall will ever look the same until you repaint it, and maybe not even then. And, no, putting the twins in their high chairs with a snack while you try to clean the wall doesn’t guarantee that when you return they won’t both be stark naked and the wrong twin won’t be wearing the other twin’s glasses. But when you text your mother that you have to laugh or you’re going to cry, the guarantee is that she will hate what you’re having to go through, she will send you a kiss emoji and so many virtual hugs
and wishes that the twins will have a very nice, very lengthy afternoon nap and wake with smiles on their faces and “Hi, Mamas” for you as you open their bedroom door. Because while they are sleeping, you’ve been watching news coverage of bombings half a world away, stricken faces of mothers cradling their babies in improvised subway station bomb shelters, wondering where formula and diapers will come from, residents frantically imagining what the city above them will resemble when they finally venture back to their homes, fathers placing their hands on the opposite side of the glass from their crying children’s on overfilled departing trains, wondering if they will survive their homeland’s struggle for independence. There are scenes of bloodshed and bombing, grief and disbelief, crying eyes and screaming faces, ravaged cities and burned-out buildings. And your heart is broken seeing the grief as it unfolds and your own wonderful babies sleep peacefully above you. Tonight, there will be cardboard boxes to be colored, laughter as your boys climb through the pretend doors and windows, “cook” you pretend coffee and run on their chubby legs to deliver it to you, complete with sloppy kisses and the beautiful sounds of their voices. And you will say your prayers together and send them heavenward with a heart that is broken and so very, very thankful. Vicki Bahr is an inveterate word lover and story sharer, a published author in magazine, newspaper and blog forms. As a mom of four, grandma of nine, and wife of one for nearly fifty years, she finds that inspiration and wonder are everywhere. The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.
