During February, Newtown Health District, in collaboration with Newtown Human Services, Parks & Recreation, and Newtown Community Center, presented residents and members with a unique heart health month opportunity. Residents were able to participate in a “Heart Health Bingo,” where challenge takers had to complete activities on a card to complete a bingo line.

Activities included physical challenges, like squats and jumping jacks, as well as educational, emotional, and nutritional activities. Prizes for the bingo drawing included gift cards to Daily Rise, Boost Bowls, and Cosmic Café. The grand prize was a heart-health-themed basket, which included heart-shaped measuring cups, a yoga mat, resistance bands, a Joanne’s Fitness Studio gift card, and more.

Donna Culbert, director of Newtown Health District, said that promoting heart health was “a lot of fun.” Natalie Griffith, director of Human Services, shared a story that several senior center members took a moment outside of her office to practice their squats and jumping jacks to fill in a square on their bingo cards.

Human Services and Health District employees gathered at the municipal center for the drawing on Wednesday, March 4. Though the drawing only took a few minutes to complete, the anticipation and competitive nature of the month-long bingo challenge was palpable throughout the health district wing.

Griffith pulled the first card for the drawing; the prize was the Daily Rise gift card. Griffith stuck her hand into the basket and pulled out Mary Lou Laws’ bingo card.

Then Giana Pedevillano, sanitarian with Newtown Health District, pulled a card. Pedevillano herself competed in the challenge and hoped to score a win. Sticking to traditional drawing style, Pedevillano turned her head and rifled through the basket to pull a card. The card pulled was none other than her own coworker’s, Sarah Capozziello, administrative assistant. Capozziello won the Boost Bowls gift card, a restaurant in town she frequents.

Dyllin Capiello, health educator, pulled the next card for the Cosmic Café gift certificate. Binhminh Nguyen, a senior center member, was the lucky winner. Griffith and Wendy Devereaux, senior services assistant at Newtown Senior Center, were very excited to give Nguyen the good news.

Then, one prize remained: the gift basket. Devereaux pulled the last card for the drawing. The winner was Debbie Molsick, another senior center member. The drawing was then complete, and Griffith and Devereaux walked back over to the senior center to congratulate the winners.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.