Published: April 23, 2007 01:37 pm            

Fair to showcase community resources

From banking to schools, Madison County residents can find a wealth of information Saturday at the Community Resource Fair.

The event, hosted by Foothills Community Action Partnership and Mujeres Unidas, will be from 9 a.m. to noon at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 1285 Barnes Mill Road.

The fair will offer a variety of information booths focusing on housing, health, education, banking, human rights, laws and personal finances, said Sandra Powell, Hispanic outreach coordinator for Foothills.

“This is not only for Hispanics,” she said. “It’s for the whole community. The goal is to include the international community to participate as well.”

“People will be more knowledgeable about the services in the area,” Powell said.

The first resource fair was conducted about seven years ago, she said, but this year’s event will be only the second time the focus was on more than just health issues.

Attendees will be able to learn about what to do if there is a leak at the Blue Grass Army Depot, how to get involved in adult education and how to volunteer or participate in Project Read, among other services in the community.

The Richmond Police Department will be providing crime-prevention material about how residents can protect themselves from becoming a victim, said Sgt. Willard Reardon, public affairs officer for the Richmond Police Department.

“Anytime that you can be available to an outreach program to reach the community, you need to do that,” he said. “We’re always looking at different avenues to be visible to the public so they can come up and talk to us about issues they may be having. We’re looking forward to it.”

Information about the Richmond Human Rights Commission, Head Start, domestic violence prevention and the fire department also will be available.

A lawyer also will discuss immigration reform updates to start the fair, Powell said.

“People who come from out of town who haven’t been living here do not know all of the services that are available,” she said about the necessity of the fair.

For more information or to participate in the fair, call Powell at 624-2046 or e-mail sandrapowell@foothillscap.org.

Bryan Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@richmondregister.com or 624-6691.

        

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