Published on April 7, 2006 by Mary L. Wimberley  

Samford University's Student Government Association and Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society will host the annual Fun Fest for Perry County children on Saturday, April 22.

Casual sporting events, music, face painting and other activities will take place 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the courthouse square in downtown Marion. The events are free and a complimentary lunch will be served.

Also during the day, members of the Samford University Association of Nursing Students (SUANS) will host health-related programs for children and adults. The students from Samford's Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing and nursing faculty members will lead children in games and activities that focus on health and hygiene. Blood sugar and cholesterol screenings and height and weight assessments will be available for adults.

The events are presented in conjunction with the Old Howard 100 Bike Ride, which is sponsored that day by Samford's Howard College of Arts and Sciences. Samford was founded as Howard College in Marion in 1841. The school moved to the East lake section of Birmingham in 1887, and relocated to Homewood in 1957.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.