Working for Whitewater’s Wellness, or W3, is hosting its second annual Wellfest from 12 to 3 p.m. on March 10 at Whitewater High School.

The free event is open to all students, staff and members of the Whitewater community.

Marci Pasquesi, who works for AmeriCorp Vista and W3, organized the event.

“It’s a free event so if people really want to get out there and be active, we have a lot of free activities, and it’s not too far [from campus],” Pasquesi said.

W3 is a community non-profit organization that receives contributions from UW-Whitewater, the Whitewater Unified School District, the city of Whitewater, and Fort Health Care in Fort Atkinson.

W3’s goal is to make resources and opportunities more available and accessible to the entire community, Pasquesi said.

This year, Wellfest is back with more to offer participants than last year. Everything from learning about living well in areas of life, like exercise and dieting, to winning prizes is offered to attendees.

There are three 40-minute sessions at this year’s Wellfest, each with a 10-minute break in-between so participants can walk around at tables set up in the hallway.

At the tables, there will be information from City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Dept. about different summer sports opportunities, Pasquesi said.

Wellfest is offering 11 different classes this year, including a financial planning class, taught by a UW Credit Union representative, Yoga, Zumba and Tai Chi classes, Healthy Cooking Demos with Tyler, taught by chef and owner of The Black Sheep Tyler Sailsbury, and a boot camp session.

There will also be many “Minute to win it” games in the main gym during all sessions where participants can win prizes, ranging from gift certificates to different stores to Green Bay Packers’ coffee mugs, t-shirts and other memorabilia, Pasquesi said.

This year, the American Marketing Association chapter at UW-Whitewater is helping promote the event. When Pasquesi pitched the idea to AMA’s Creative Marketing Unlimited board, Ericka Schaefer immediately offered to help because she thinks it is something people should get involved in.

“I definitely think its relavant (to students) because it’s something fun,” Schaefer said. “It’s a good way to get your heart pumping with different activities you can do. There’s something for everyone.”

Schaefer and AMA are helping market the event by creating a banner to hang over Main Street. They also created a promotional video, and fliers to hang in the residence halls, something Wellfest did not have last year.

“I think that seeing the banner along with all the other aspects will continue to involve us and it will be at the top of their mind,” Schaefer said.

Pasquesi and Schafer said Wellfest is a good opportunity for networking in the community.

“You never know when a great opportunity for an internship or job will happen,” Schaefer said. “It requires getting out there and meeting new people.”

There is no early sign up for classes, so all participants have to do is show up ready to participate.