Most of us know the importance of having a presence at community events. One of my goals has been to add a new community event to our schedule each year.

There are several community events we all probably already do, such as Health Fairs, County Fairs, and Senior Expos. Try to think of some new events to add. What about a Parade? Youngstown library has a community event called “First Night. It’s a community event held New Year’s Eve that includes the library as one of the stops as the participants stroll through town.

We have what we refer to as a Senior Task Force for Muskingum County. This is a group that consists of area businesses that deal specifically with seniors. (Nursing homes, Area Agency on Aging, Funeral Homes, Financial Advisors, Home Health Care Agencies, Dept. of Jobs and Family Services, etc). We started by holding an annual “Taste of Retirement” to showcase what each business has to offer. We showcase the food that is offered at the different retirement homes, (Free Food always works for seniors) and the rest of us set up informational tables. I don’t provide food, but I provide the next important commodity for this event. “Bags”. I call the Cincinnati Library for the Blind and Handicapped and request 250 bags every year and they happily oblige me. The seniors love the large size bags, so I am sure to have them stop at my table. We also have a car show and sock hop that we added last year, these are fun events and they allow us to promote our services in a new way. We sell tickets to these events and the profits from this year's event where used to present needy seniors with a “basket of warmth”. The basket we gave out this year consisted of laundry baskets with a blanket, pillow, laundry detergent and various other non-perishable items to 157 needy seniors in our area. If you don’t have a group like this in your area, you might consider starting one. Our Senior Task Force offers many opportunities to let the public know of our services. 

Our outreach dept also attends meetings of the Council on Community Resources. We meet with all the other agencies that are service providers in our area. These are the people that see the people we don’t. Through this group, we also put on what we call a “Day of Sharing”. This event is held once a year and is set up at our local Welcome Center. All of the service agencies in our area set up booths and tables and tell about their services. This is a great way to network with other agencies and share what we do with each other. The event is attended by the public and the staff of each agency.

www.muskingumresources.org