Women's Health Symposium fills Crosby Hall

Submitted by jbraswell on November 17, 2016 – 3:32pm

POPLARVILLE – More than 400 women indulged themselves for a day at the 2015 Women’s Health Symposium Saturday at Pearl River Community College.
They shopped for jewelry, bird houses and other merchandise at the Art Walk, took advantage of free screenings, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, and treated themselves to chair massages and manicures.
They packed into Olivia Bender Cafeteria to hear health information from a panel of local healthcare providers and laughed with speaker Janie Walters as she whooped and hollered while talking about ways to reduce stress.
“It’s not until we accept the fact that we’re living with stress that we can begin to manage it,” Walters said. “It helps, if you can, to avoid it.”
Keys to managing stress include honesty, patience, forgiveness, faith in something bigger than yourself, deep breaths and laughter, she said.
“It’s not going away,” Walters said. “We just have to be smarter about dealing with it.”
Students from several PRCC programs played an active part in the symposium:
•Nursing students did blood pressure checks.
•Medical laboratory technology students did cholesterol checks.
•Dental hygiene students provided oral healthcare information.
•Cosmetology students did manicures and paraffin waxes.
•The Voices select vocal ensemble provided luncheon entertainment.
•Honors Institute students assisted with the continental breakfast and the luncheon.
•Art students assisted with the Art Walk.
Each participant received a “Blueberry Pearl” necklace and a garment bag embossed with the PRCC logo. Approximately 200 door prizes were awarded, including six grand prizes:
•Original Alex Ladner painting worth $100 to Forrest County Center instructor Charity McCoy of Brooklyn.
•Catherine Popesco bracelet worth $100 from Apples Ltd to Savannah Hodge of Poplarville.
•Year’s supply of Coke products worth $175 to Angelia Burnham of Petal.
•Turquoise and peridot earrings worth $200 from Parris Jewelers to Rebecca Seals of Lumberton.
•Adirondack chairs made by PRCC advanced construction technology students to Vondell Wallace of Poplarville.
•Concrete picnic table and benches made by PRCC brick masonry students to Angie Smith of Picayune.
Grand sponsor for the symposium was the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation.
Silver sponsors were Hancock Bank, Mississippi Power, Pearl River County Hospital and Nursing Home, Slidell Memorial Hospital and Wal-Mart Supercenter in Picayune. Bronze sponsors were BankPlus, First National Bank of Picayune, Hattiesburg Clinic, Highland Community Hospital, Southern Bone & Joint Specialists and Wesley Medical Center.


Winners of the grand prizes were, from left, Charity McCoy of Brooklyn, original Alex Ladner painting; Angie Smith of Picayune, concrete picnic table and benches made by PRCC brick masonry students; Vondell Wallace of Poplarville, Adirondack chairs made by PRCC advanced construction technology students; Rebecca Seals of Lumberton, earrings from Parris Jewelers; Angelia Burnham of Petal, a year’s supply of products from Hattiesburg Coca-Cola; and Savannah Hodge of Poplarville, a Catherine Popesco bracelet from Apples Ltd.


Associate degree nursing student Kimberly Freeman of Petal checks blood pressure for Carol Ann Freeman of Lumberton.

Earlene Smith and Sharon Fink of Poplarville react with pleasure to the “Blueberry Pearl” necklace each participant received.

Each community college president is asked to bring two (2) wrapped door prizes, minimum value of $50 each. We will have a station set up at the conference for you to drop off the door prizes.

Each community college is asked to provide name tags for their Board members, administration, and staff attending the conference.