Health & Wellness Flourish at Fair Haven Community Health Care Fiesta

This article by Naiyanna White was originally posted by the Arts Paper on October 28th, 2026

On a brisk, partly cloudy afternoon in the parking lot of the Fair Haven Community Health Care, Grandmaster George Logan and six of his students were ready to demonstrate some of the work they’ve done at the Connecticut School of Survival. Using punch paddles and escrima sticks, they moved through a few drills and training exercises.

Logan and his students were among representatives of 30 different organizations at the nonprofit’s second annual Community Fiesta, launched after months of planning. With over 200 attendees, the event has continued to grow, due to the number of programs and community partners that signed on to help with the event.

“It’s a community event. We are all part of the community here. We take turns and we join in, do what we all can,” said Manan Dave, FHCHC chief of pharmacy services.

Logan, who has been teaching martial arts in New Haven since 1973, said the school's reason for attendance was to reach some of Fair Haven’s youth attending the Fiesta. His older students are all currently in or have recently graduated from college, in undergraduate and graduate programs.

“The kids are so much smarter these days and so it [martial arts] allows us to reach them at an earlier stage and it gives them their own mindset,” he said. “They’re not conformists, you know? They’re not following the pack of people who might be doing something wrong.”

Read the full article: https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/health-wellness-flourish-at-fair-haven-community-health-care-fiesta