After a year of social distancing, the Porter County Triad Health Expo took place on August 27 at Founders Square in Portage.
Porter County Triad is a union of law enforcement, local seniors, and community businesses that are dedicated to serving the seniors in Porter County. The expo functions as a way for Porter County senior citizens to connect with their local community and learn about the organizations that are bringing beneficial resources for their wellbeing to the forefront. Businesses and organizations from the surrounding area participated in the expo by setting up booths to connect and serve the Porter County senior citizen community.
One business that offered its services to the senior community through the expo was Rittenhouse Village at Portage.
“Whatever is out there to help the seniors – we try to bring to that here. This expo is to bring these resources to the senior community,” said Cathy Ellis, marketing liaison for Dunes Hospice LLC and president of Porter County Triad.
The expo also included events such as “Find the Sheriff,” which was demonstrated on Sheriff David Reynolds and Portage Mayor Sue Lynch by Project Lifesaver International. The organization is the creator of Project Lifesaver, a device that can be worn as a bracelet or anklet that allows police personnel to track someone in the event of them going missing. These devices are helpful for those with cognitive disabilities such as dementia or forms of autism.
“The program we have – Find the Sheriff – actually demonstrates how this life-saving device works. So, the mayor and sheriff are going to go hide somewhere in this general area, and then the officers will use the device to find them,” Ellis said.
Typically, Sheriff Reynolds wears the device for the demonstration, but this year Mayor Lynch wore the device while Sheriff Reynolds was tracked by a police canine.
The purpose of the event is to bring awareness to the life-saving device.
“If family members can’t provide it for their loved one, we will provide the bracelet,” said Sheriff Reynolds. “It’s a tremendous thing for people who know someone who has the risk of getting lost due to a disability.”
To fund Project Lifesaver, Porter County Triad donates the money earned from the vendors at the annual Health Expo to the Porter County Sheriff’s Office.
“More people need to know and understand what Project Lifesaver is, so it’s a device which we sponsor. All of the funds from the vendors go to Triad; we then donate these funds to the sheriff’s office to go towards Project Lifesaver,” said Danielle Balek, senior lifestyle counselor for Rittenhouse Village at Portage and vice president of Porter County Triad.
While the Health Expo effectively serves as a way to provide resources to the senior community, it also allows Porter County Triad to make the community aware of Project Lifesaver in order to save as many lives as possible.
“I’ve told many people about this because I’m a big, big supporter,” said Mayor Lynch. “It’s a great event.”
The event, which was combined with Portage Parks & Recreation Department’s Market on the Square on Friday, also had live music and entertainment from Dolphin Band, E-man, the Bonner Senior Center dancers, and the Bonner Senior Center Choraleers. Portage Township also named an honorary senior. The event was free for all attendees and even included various giveaways.
For more information about Portage Parks & Recreation Department, visit its website at inportageparks.com. For more information about Porter County Triad, visit its website at portercountytriad.com. For more information about the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, visit its website at www.portercountysheriff.com.
