Mixed Blood Announces Family Health Fair

Brian Coyle Center and Mixed Blood Theatre are excited to welcome families and people of all ages to attend an annual health fair on Friday, August 17 from 12 pm to 5:00 pm. Health screenings, cooking demonstrations, children's activities, music with Sisco Omar and other local DJ's, and much more will take place inside and on the grounds of the two neighboring organizations in and around 420 S. 15th Avenue in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis.

Fair-goers will receive free health monitoring such as blood pressure, HIV testing, blood sugar testing and more. HealthPartners, Peoples' Center, and Hennepin Health are among the sponsoring organizations of the event.

Free Henna, Face-painting, and backpacks with school supplies will be available to children attending with their families. Second Harvest will provide produce for interested participants. Drawings to win gift certificates will be held each hour of the fair. Supplies are limited so fair-goers are encouraged to come early.

Since 2008 Pillsbury United Communities at the Brian Coyle Center has been hosting the Cedar-Riverside Family Health Fair. This year Mixed Blood Theatre, located across the street from Coyle Center, will partner with the Center for this event.

According to Awol Windissa of Brian Coyle Center and the event's chief organizer, "This health fair is a good and important way for our neighborhood and others to learn of the resources available from the various healthcare and social services providers in our community. We hope it's a start for some families and reminder to others that their health is key and that they can learn how to maintain good health."

Mixed Blood, is currently involved in a health initiative in the Cedar-Riverside funded by Artplace America. The Theatre has been organizing storytelling circles to help improve communication and understanding between East African immigrants who live in the neighborhood and healthcare providers.

The Cedar-Riverside Health Fair represents a wonderful opportunity for members of the Cedar-Riverside community and the greater Twin Cities to gain access to healthcare and health-related resources for immigrant populations. This event is all-ages and free to the public.

About Brian Coyle Center:

Brian Coyle Center promotes social and economic equality, offering programs that build strength and support the entrepreneurial spirit of youth and adults. As a neighborhood center of Pillsbury United Communities, we strive to unite people across ethnicity, generations and organizations to promote the academic, economic, and social wellbeing of all. Coyle is Minneapolis' busiest multi-service center, hosting 750+ daily visitors and annually serving 7,500+ individuals.

About Mixed Blood Theatre:

Mixed Blood Theatre has invited the global village into its audience and onto its stage for its unique brand of provocative, inclusive, and predictably unpredictable theater since 1976. Using theater to illustrate and animate, Mixed Blood models pluralism in pursuit of interconnections, shared humanity, and engaged citizenry.