On Feb. 29, THRIVE! hosted a  “Heartbeat Soiree” in the lobby of the Thibodaux Regional Health System Wellness Center.

The event ran from 6-8:30 p.m. and featured numerous sponsors ranging from Nicholls Nursing to Start Corp to Nicholls State University’s own homecoming king, Rodney “Duke” Woods’, Duke’s Apothecary Herbs and Teas.

THRIVE! has been coined a “powerhouse collective” by Point of Vue magazine and is committed to enriching the lives of those from Terrebonne, Lafourche and surrounding parishes. This event was the second annual Heartbeat Soiree they’ve put on with the Thibodaux Regional Health System.

The aim of the event was to not only promote heart health awareness, but also to introduce community individuals to holistic healing. Their goal was to promote healthy lifestyles while also identifying and closing health gaps between demographics.

THRIVE! President Tonya Harris said, “We are super pleased with the turnout! There’s lots of energy, and what we thought would be a hard health event ended up being a holistic event with lots of participation from our community and our sponsors.”

This impactful programming event was complete with free admission, raffle prizes, music, refreshments and more. In total, the soiree featured 27 vendors from around the area, and each contributed their own information, demonstrations and presentations.

Participants had the opportunity to get their blood pressure checked with Teche Action Clinic, get a massage from Everlasting Touch, or watch a healthy cooking demonstration by the Thibodaux Regional Medical Center.

Other tables included Early Steps, Tulane’s Public Health and Tropical Medicine department, Nicholls’ CROWN and Student Services, and yoga instruction provided by F.E.N.I.X Yoga.

All in all, it was a lively event which filled the lobby of the wellness center with an immediate community-oriented environment. People of all ages were in attendance from young children to college students to adults and elderly. It proved to be an effective surprise for regular wellness center visitors.

As for THRIVE!, they are not just any community outreach collective. These women pull out all of the stops for their community events and do so with grace and a sense of humor. It is clear to see that they are a close-knit group of powerful women, and when spotted at their event, it is clear to see it feels less like work for them and more like fun.