Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The LaFayette Police Department will be hosting a Women’s Wellness Week from Oct. 21 through Oct. 26. Each day will be a different event that tackles an aspect of women’s health. All the events are free to attend. 

One of the organizers of the week, Sgt. Jacob Williams said the idea started smaller. He and LaFayette police chief, Christopher Trice, were asked about putting on a self-defense class by Lt. Jessica Daley of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. 

“What if we not only had that women’s self-defense course, what if we made a whole week dedicated to women, and so grew from…Into a women’s Wellness Week,” Williams said. “That includes everything from women’s physical and mental health to their safety and security.”

The week will open with a talk on nutrition and exercise at Blessed Body and Fitness. According to Williams, the talk will focus on the impact of exercise on not only physical health but mental health. Hosts Pamela Holloway, the gym’s owner, and Regina Meadows, of the Extension Office, will be demonstrating some quick meal preps and workouts. The event will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT on Oct. 21. 

The following day will be a drop-in event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. The Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center will be providing a host of resources, including HIV testing by Unity Wellness Center, Breast Cancer self-examination training and education on the two diseases. LifeSouth will also be at the Center for a blood drive. 

Williams announced the Gene Machine would be there as well. The mobile site tests for the BRCA gene, which if present in an individual, can increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. 

Daley will present a women’s self-defense course through the R.A.D. program on Oct. 23 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT at the ALFA building. RAD, standing for Rape Aggression Defense Systems, is an instructor-led program of “realistic self-defense tactics,” according to its website.  

It is back to the ALFA building on Oct. 24 for an art class and discussion on women’s mental health with Tracie Halcrombe, founder of the mental health non-profit Joy Inside Tears, and Kayla Snow Thomas, a local artist. The event will also run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT.

Another safety demonstration will be held the following day at the Chambers County Firing Range. Firearm instructors from the LaFayette Police Department, Derrick Coley, and the Chambers County Sheriff’s Department, Derrick Wright, will teach attendees proper handgun techniques from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT.

Williams asks that those interested who already own a gun bring their own, so they can become more comfortable with their firearm. However, he adds all are welcome regardless if they own one or not. 

The final day of the wellness week will be outdoors. Participants will join in on a Breast Cancer Walk at the courthouse square put on by Hope Heals Within, in honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  The walk will begin at 9 a.m. CT. 

Williams said when pitching this idea, the community was incredibly supportive. He thanked the partners and hosts of the week’s events. 

“We have so many people from our community and so many blessings in our community. We really wanted to highlight those individuals and those resources,” he said.