The Wright Center, Children’s Fair for National Health Center Week

Families can enjoy a day of fun and wellness at The Wright Center for Community Health’s children’s fair, part of National Health Center Week. The inaugural event will feature yoga sessions, backpack giveaways, health snacks, face painting, and visits with a friendly therapy dog – offering something for kids and the young at heart.

The Wright Way to Wellness: Kids Edition will take place from 2-6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7, in the auditorium at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton, 501 S. Washington Ave. The event will feature fitness and art activities, healthy snacks and nutrition demonstrations, a backpack and school supply giveaway, visits with The Wright Center’s therapy dog, Sadie, athletic equipment giveaways with Build-N-Athlete, and information about school physicals and vaccinations.

Children’s yoga instructor Kerri Bonich will lead demonstrations, and the Lackawanna County Bookmobile will be on site from 2-4 p.m. Several area nonprofits, including the Carbondale YMCA, Penn State Nutrition Links, the Commission on Economic Opportunity, and Valley in Motion, will participate. The event will also feature raffles, including one for a youth fitness watch.

The wellness fair is just one of several special events The Wright Center will host or participate in as part of National Health Center Week from Aug. 3-9. Community health centers, such as The Wright Center, are nonprofit, patient-governed organizations that provide high-quality, comprehensive, whole-person primary health services to medically underserved communities, serving all patients regardless of income or insurance status.

This year’s National Health Center Week theme – “60 Years of Improving Our Nation’s Health” – is especially relevant to The Wright Center, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026.

The Wright Center, one of nearly 1,500 community health centers nationwide, served about 38,300 unique patients in fiscal year 2024-25. Community health centers represent the largest primary care network in the nation, delivering care to more than 32.5 million people annually, or one in 10 people nationwide. Of those served, one in three people live in poverty, and one in five are uninsured, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers, which organizes National Health Center Week.

“National Health Center Week is an important reminder of the critical role that community health centers play in strengthening the delivery of responsive, whole-person primary health services to underserved populations here in Northeast Pennsylvania and across the nation,” said Kara Seitzinger, the executive director of public affairs and advisor liaison to the president/CEO. “We’re excited to host this children’s wellness fair and several other events to celebrate how community health centers like The Wright Center are woven into the fabric of our region.”

The Wright Center’s other National Health Center Week activities include:

• Monday, Aug. 4: 10 a.m.-noon, backpack and school supply giveaway, The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
• Tuesday, Aug. 5: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Community Closet, Wayne City Visitors Center, 32 Commercial St, Honesdale.
• Tuesday, Aug. 5: 6-9 p.m., information table at Scranton’s National Night Out, Scranton High School, 63 Mike Munchak Way.
• Wednesday, Aug. 6: noon to 3 p.m., backpack and school supply giveaway, plus information on health services, and summer safety tips at Scranton Co-op Farmers Market, 900 Barring Ave.
• Wednesday, Aug. 6: 5-7 p.m., information table and backpack and school supply giveaway at Archbald’s National Night Out, A.C. Field, 183 Harrison St.
• Thursday, Aug. 7: noon to 2 p.m., food giveaway, The Wright Center for Community Health North Pocono,  260 Daleville Highway, Covington Township.
• Thursday, Aug. 7: 4-7 p.m., backpack and school supply giveaway, Tunkhannock Health Fair, 5950 U.S. Route 6.
• Friday, Aug. 8: 10 a.m. to noon, backpack and school supply giveaway, The Wright Center for Community Health North Scranton, 1721 North Main Ave.
• Friday, Aug. 8: 3-5 p.m., backpack and school supply giveaway, Carbondale Public Library, 5 N. Main St.

The Wright Center, based in Scranton, offers affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services at its growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-209-0019.