Could use some suggestions on this one folks. I live in a very progressive college town flooded with amazing social service, outreach and community support organizations. Like many other places, we are getting hit very hard with layoffs and other effects of the downturn.
However, there are so many organizations around here willing to help, so many people willing to volunteer if they knew what was out there, but more importantly, so many of the people who need the most help don't even know what help is available!
With that in mind, I could use advice on the types of organizations and people that you think would be good to bring to a one day, one-stop "fair" I'm trying to set up for both those who want to help and those who NEED help to find out all that is out there. I'm looking to reserve our local community building and envision having each group set up with tables, with a sign up sheet or some basic information on their group, and also might try to have a separate room for a breakout sessions where members of these groups can get together and brainstorm how they can work together through the craziness.
So far, I've been thinking of:
Education: people from our local BOCES, Community College, job placement orgs, job training orgs...
Health: our local free health care clinic, perhaps some independent health advisers to give out tips on staying healthy during the cold winter months, eating health yon a lower budget...
Sustainability: local group that helps people weatherize their home to save on energy costs, our local CarShare group, ....
Financial: reps from our local credit union, reps from our local free tax program for the poor....
Can you please help me brainstorm and build the list? What other groups do you have in your community that I should look for here and bring in to our fair? Are there any businesses you think it would be good to invite, reps of specific social service programs, etc.?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. If we're going to pull through this, we're going to do it by helping each other, so I'm trying to do whatever I can to make sure we start helping each other as much as possible as soon as possible. Thanks all!