“Is the Bear Health Fair Right for Your Church?”
The Bear Health Fair is designed for churches and organizations looking for a creative, family-friendly community outreach event. This interactive health experience invites children and families to explore the eight principles of health through hands-on activities, while creating opportunities to connect with your community and share God’s love.
Ideal Audience:
- Families with children of all ages, more specifically (ages 4-12)
- Community and Neighborhood events
- Health fairs
- Fall festivals
- Vacation Bible School follow-up events
- Church open houses
Can be customized for different settings, including:
- Church outreach events
- Community festivals
- Farmers markets
- School/community partnerships
- Health ministry events
- Family-focused church programs
“What Happens During the Event?”
Want to see what children and families will experience during the Bear Health Fair? You can view a virtual copy of the Bear Health Passport below. This interactive guide takes families through each of the eight health principles and provides a glimpse into the activities, learning moments, and fun adventures children will complete with their bear.
Event Overview: Bear Health Fair at a Glance
🧸 Event Length: 3–4 hours
(For events longer than 4 hours, plan for volunteer shifts to ensure each booth remains fully staffed.)
👧 Target Age: Elementary-aged children (approximately ages 4–12) and their families.
👥 Recommended Attendance: Up to 200 children
(The Bear Health Fair can be adapted for smaller or larger groups. Adjust supply quantities based on expected attendance.)
🙋 Volunteers Needed: Minimum 20 volunteers
(At least 2 volunteers per booth, including one responsible adult at each station.)
⛺ Space Needed: A large open space with room for registration, checkout, eight activity booths, and a photo area (optional). Access to water is needed for the Water Booth.
The Bear Health Fair can be adapted to different locations. Booths may be arranged in a:
- U-shape (recommended)
- L-shape
- Straight line
Minimum space:
- Registration table
- 8 activity booths
- Check-out table
- Photo area (optional)
Each booth requires approximately one tent/parking space-sized area.
🪑 Tables & Seating Needs: The hosting entity will need to provide one table for each activity booth, a registration table, a check-out table, and chairs for volunteers serving at each station.
💰 Estimated Cost:
- $100 Bear Health Fair Resource Rental Fee
- Approximately $700 Bear Health Fair Purchase Essentials
- $250 Refundable Security Deposit
📦 Resources Provided: Booth materials, booth tents, Bear Health Passports, booth instructions, volunteer preparation materials, and activity guides.
Ready to Host a Bear Health Fair?
- Review the Bear Health Fair resources
- Select your event date
- Complete the reservation request form
- Coordinate payment with Washington Conference Treasury
- Recruit volunteers and begin preparing
- Host your Bear Health Fair and connect with your community!
Together, the Washington Conference and your local church can create a fun, meaningful outreach experience that helps families discover healthy habits, build relationships, and experience God’s love.
What the Washington Conference Provides
The Washington Conference Children’s and Health Ministries teams have developed the Bear Health Fair to make it easy for churches and organizations to host a high-quality outreach event. Resources provided include:
- Bear Health Fair booth materials and activity supplies
- Eight booth tents
- Bear Health Passports
- Detailed booth instructions and activity guides
- Volunteer training materials
- Planning resources and timelines
- Event setup recommendations
- Ongoing support and consultation throughout the planning process
What the Hosting Church Provides
The hosting church or organization provides the local team, event location, and consumable supplies needed to bring the Bear Health Fair to life. Responsibilities include:
- Selecting and preparing the event location
- Recruiting and coordinating volunteers
- Completing required volunteer background screenings
- Providing tables and chairs for the event
- Purchasing bears and other consumable supplies
- Promoting the event within the church and community
- Managing event-day hospitality and logistics
- Following up with families after the event
Planning ahead helps create a smooth and meaningful Bear Health Fair experience. Use the timeline below as a guide to prepare your volunteers, organize materials, promote your event, and prayerfully prepare to welcome families from your community.
Volunteers are an essential part of creating a welcoming and meaningful Bear Health Fair experience. Their smiles, encouragement, and interaction with families help transform each booth from an activity into an opportunity for connection and learning.
The Bear Health Fair is a fun, family-friendly community outreach event designed to create connections with children and families. Begin promoting your event several weeks in advance to help your community know about this unique health experience. Consider sharing invitations through your church, schools, community organizations, local businesses, social media, and personal relationships. The most effective invitations often come through personal connections—encouraging families to attend, experience the activities, and discover how healthy habits can strengthen their bodies, families, and relationship with God.
Consider partnering with:
- local schools
- community organizations
- farmers markets
- neighborhood groups
- Adventurer families
Hosting churches should follow their local child protection policies, including:
- Approved volunteers
- Appropriate adult supervision
- Safe interactions with children
- Proper insurance approval
Volunteer Background Screening
Creating a safe and welcoming environment for children and families is an important part of hosting a Bear Health Fair. Before the event, connect with the Washington Conference Human Resources department to ensure that all required volunteer background screenings are completed. Begin this process early to allow enough time for processing and to make sure your volunteer team is prepared before event day. All volunteers serving with children should follow the safety and child protection policies of their church or organization.
Continuing the Connection
The Bear Health Fair is more than a one-day event—it is an opportunity to build lasting relationships with families in your community. After the event, take time to celebrate with your volunteers, thank those who helped make the day possible, and pray for the families who attended. Consider following up with guests through thank-you messages, invitations to future church events, family ministries, health programs, or children’s activities. Use the connections made through the Bear Health Fair as a bridge to continue sharing God’s love and creating meaningful relationships with your community.
The Bear Health Fair is a starting point for relationships. Consider:
- Inviting families to Sabbath School programs
- Offering parenting seminars
- Hosting family worship events
- Creating follow-up health or family events
- Sending thank-you messages to attendees
After Your Event:
✅ Thank volunteers and celebrate what God did
✅ Pray for the families who attended
✅ Follow up with guests (if contact information was collected)
✅ Share upcoming family/church events
✅ Invite families into ongoing relationships and programs
The relationships built through this event are only the beginning. Consider participating in the Plan It, Fund It class to help your ministry team develop a yearly ministry plan, identify opportunities for outreach, and intentionally connect your events with your church’s evangelism cycle. This training will help leaders move from individual events to a purposeful ministry strategy that creates ongoing opportunities for connection, discipleship, and sharing God’s love.
For more information or to learn how the Plan It, Fund It class can support your ministry planning, connect with Jen Bullion by call/text at 402-800-4854 or email jennifer.bullion@wc.npuc.org.
“I really loved the fair. There was so much joy, and it was so good to see such smiling faces everywhere.”
– Angela Cho, Bear Health Fair Volunteer
Q: Can smaller churches host a Bear Health Fair?
A: Yes! The event can be adapted based on your space, volunteers, and expected attendance.
Q: Does the event need to happen at a church?
A: No. The Bear Health Fair can be taken into the community through partnerships and outreach events.
Q: How many volunteers do we need?
A: A minimum of 20 volunteers is recommended.
Q: How far in advance should we plan?
A: Beginning 8–12 weeks before your event is recommended.
Q: Can we partner with another church?
A: Absolutely! Many churches find that partnering with neighboring churches allows them to share volunteers, resources, and outreach opportunities.
Q: Can the Bear Health Fair be used at community events?
A: Yes! The Bear Health Fair works well at churches, schools, community festivals, farmers markets, and other family-focused outreach events.
