Grand Valley State University is in its final stages of putting together its first-ever Wellness Summit. The event is free and will take place Wednesday, Oct. 4, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the second floor of the Kirkof Center.

“The Wellness Summit is for students, faculty and staff,” said Lindsey DesArmo, health and wellness manager at GVSU. “Basically, it’s an opportunity to understand what’s available for you on campus regarding your wellness, health, well-being, whatever that may be. It’s just kind of a way to find your balance.”

Put on by the wellness taskforce at GVSU, the event follows its mission statement “to increase collaboration and awareness among campus partners to identify wellness opportunities for GVSU students, faculty and staff and act on those opportunities to develop a campus culture that supports good health and well-being.”

Four key areas will form the focus of the event: talk, move, breathe and eat.

“There’s going to be something for everybody, I swear,” DesArmo said. “Wellness to me can be something totally different to you, so we wanted to try to bring in all these different concepts, and hopefully people can find what it is they’re really interested in.”

“Talk” will take place in the Grand River Room and will include presentations and discussion. A LIB 100-approved keynote speaker panel discussing what wellness is will be held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Flash talks will follow at 4:30 p.m. 

Amy Campbell, associate director of GVSU Campus Recreation, and DesArmo both described flash talks as short speeches similar to TED Talks that will include different wellness experiences from a variety of people.

“Move” will use KC 2263 and KC 2259 for different activities, like foam rolling at 4 p.m. and “Glowga,” or glow-in-the-dark yoga, at 6 p.m. Health screenings and assessments will also be available throughout the day.

“Breathe” will be held in KC 2201. It encourages depression screenings and meditation from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and chair massages from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“We’re hoping to connect with people, get them to explore some new things that maybe they haven’t encountered before on campus,” Campbell said. “For instance, our registered dietitians: We have a few of them that operate in different capacities, so they’re going to be putting on cooking demonstrations, mindful eating practices and doing some sampling. 

So, you get to meet them, experience it and learn at the same time.”

“Eat” will take place in the Pere Marquette Room and will include activities like cooking demos, nutrition assessments and the opportunity for attendees to make a smoothie with a blender bike.

Other activities taking place in these rooms will include a produce stand, different vendor tables, Alcohol & Other Drugs Campus Education Services (ACES) demonstrations and more. 

Prize drawings will be made throughout the event. Participants must get signed for going to the different rooms to enter. 

Another opportunity to note is the chance for attendees to get their flu shot. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in KC 2266, a flu shot clinic will take place. 

“The Kirkhof College of Nursing will be there,” Campbell said. “That will be another highlight. This is the earliest that they’ve done their flu shot offerings on campus, and, since they’re pairing it with an event, we’re hoping it goes really well.”

A flu shot form is available at www.gvsu.edu/fhc/flu-63.htm. 

“Our wellness taskforce is really taking the initiative to put this event on, and we’re excited to work together because it’s a collaborative of lots of departments, organizations and groups that really support wellness efforts across campus,” Campbell said.

For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/bewellgv/.