Free wellness event at Lane Events Center offers local support resources

Free help for stress, caregiving and everyday overwhelm filled the Lane Events Center’s Performance Hall as Thrive 360: A Community Wellness Experience ran May 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in Eugene. The two-day expo was built around a simple promise: bring local experts, community organizations and mission-aligned vendors into one place so people could sort out practical next steps without having to start from scratch.

The event was organized around the 8 Dimensions of Wellness, physical, emotional, social, financial, intellectual, occupational, environmental and spiritual, giving visitors a way to connect their needs with the right kind of support. Lane Events Center described the expo as free and designed to include educational, non-sales-focused speakers, dedicated nonprofit programming and keynote-style closing sessions on both days. Organizers also said guests could expect vendor booths, local resources and interactive experiences.

That made the gathering especially relevant for residents looking for more than a general wellness fair. Tracy Montes, the listed organizer, framed the event as a way to make the first step feel less intimidating for people dealing with health concerns, caregiving pressures, money problems or a lack of connection. For someone who needs help but does not know where to begin, the value was in the layout itself: resource tables, live presentations and direct contact with organizations already working in Lane County.

The fundraiser component tied those connections to long-term support. Thrive 360 benefited Lane Senior Support Coalition, the 2026 benefactor, a Eugene-based 501(c)(3) that serves both rural and urban parts of Lane County. The coalition says its mission is to help low-income seniors maintain their well-being and independence, and its Senior Emergency Support Fund assists low-income adults age 60 and older with needs not covered by other public or nonprofit programs. That gives the event a clear after-the-fact value for attendees who need ongoing help, not just a one-day resource fair.

Affordable At Home Care hosted the event and listed its Eugene-Springfield services for adults with disabilities in Eugene and nearby areas, with a local office at 260 East 15th Ave. Lane Events Center said the Performance Hall can hold 3,140 people standing or 1,700 in theater seating, with free parking for about 2,500 cars, a scale that matched the size of a countywide resource fair meant to connect people to services they can use long after the weekend ends.