Next weekend, The Blind Center of North Carolina is hosting its first ever Health and Wellness Fair.

The Oct. 26 fair has one motive — to give the community a chance for more healthful living.

About 15 different vendors will have booths set up at the Blind Center, giving residents the chance to check their health. Walgreens will be giving free flu shots all day long; Precision Eye Care will give vision screenings; the Department of Health and Human Services will give hearing tests. There will be blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring and BMI testing, as well. The Mid-East Commission Area Agency on Aging will be there, as well as members from the Beaufort County Health Department and Vidant Beaufort Hospital.

The event will also feature door prizes and healthy snacks throughout the day.

And, it is all completely free. It’s an opportunity that one should strongly consider taking advantage of. Visitors can simply show up at the Blind Center next Saturday and learn about all of the health vendors Beaufort County has to offer. It’s almost a two-pronged approach — to expose residents to the services available for them but also to act as a preventative measure.

Many might not be aware of the health issues a simple vision or hearing screening at the fair might be able to detect. For example, a person might never know he has glaucoma, but a vision screening could detect it early on and prevent the condition from worsening.

The fair will also have resources for the low-vision and blind and resources for disability advocacy, so no one will have to feel as if he is alone.

It’s the perfect opportunity to those who may not be so eager to go to the doctor’s office, or for those who don’t have the resources readily available to go to the doctor’s office. This health fair will help eliminate the pressure. It provides an easy-going atmosphere for one to check up on his health.

Consider going to the health fair — it could save a life, and that life could be yours.