Around Town

Community health fair provides one-stop shop for Arlington families

By Scott McCaffrey
Group of five volunteers in blue shirts posing with blue tote bags at a health fair camp.
Kiwanis Club members and volunteers at health fair (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington’s third annual community health fair brought crowds to Carlin Springs Elementary School over the weekend.

From flu shots and eye exams to bike giveaways and tips for healthier eating, the event hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Arlington and VHC Health offered a one-stop shop for families.

“It’s a lot of fun on a rainy day,” said Kiwanis past president Joy Myers as she surveyed the scene.

The health fair debuted in 2024 at Alice West Fleet Elementary School, moving to Carlin Springs Elementary in 2025.

Volunteers in blue shirts hand out snacks and water at a table during a community event in a gym, with kids nearby holding colorful bags.
Kiwanis volunteers provide toiletry items at health fair (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

While open to all, organizers focused promotional efforts on those living along the Columbia Pike corridor. Carlin Springs Elementary is in the center of some of the areas of Arlington with the most need and a high concentration of immigrant families, said Julie Mangis, a longtime Kiwanis leader.

“We’re looking at uninsured and underinsured Arlingtonians who need health services,” she told ARLnow.

Participating organizations included the Arlington Free Clinic, Arlington Thrive, Read Early and Daily, Bridges to Independence, Phoenix Bikes, Neighborhood Health, the English Empowerment Center and the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

New this year, local Lions Clubs were also on hand with a selection of prescription eyeglasses.

“It’s wonderful to have the Lions Club — it’s been a great addition,” said Julie Wright, treasurer of the Kiwanis Club.

“Last year, the lineup for [eye] testing was a mile long, but we didn’t have the follow-up,” she said. The Lions Club helped fill that gap.

Staff from VHC Health also maintained a significant presence at the event for another year.

Three women posing together in yellow and blue Lions International shirts, smiling at the camera, logo visible on their shirts.
Members of local Lions Clubs were partners in the health fair (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

“We couldn’t do it without the hospital,” Wright said. “We’re fortunate to have the nurses.”

“It’s an amazing partnership,” Myers added.

The health fair has become the latest community initiative of the Arlington Kiwanis Club, which was chartered in 1931 and currently meets twice a month at Marymount University.

Planning for the health fair doesn’t quite run year-round, but organizers expect it will return in 2027.

“We can’t wait to bring it back next year,” Myers said.

About the Author

  • A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.