Volunteers or staff members from human services, civic, and faith-based organizations are invited to attend the 2012 People in Need Forum, with resources to help your neighbor, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 at McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake. The forum connects participants to community resources and important information for those in need.
The half-day event will begin with a continental breakfast and keynote speaker Jeff Gee, internationally-known motivational speaker, who will present a talk on collaboration. Highlights include educational sessions to help resolve care-receiver issues, plus exhibit booths of community, social service, and government agencies in McHenry County who will provide information about available resources on such timely issues as utility assistance, food stamps, health care, job search and career training assistance, transportation options, homelessness, affordable housing, debt management, domestic violence, legal matters, and veterans’ affairs.
“The forum is available to anyone interested in helping those in need and learning more about the necessary survival resources available in our community,” said Bev Thomas, of the 22nd Judicial Circuit, Family Violence Coordinating Council and the McHenry County College Center for Non-Profit Leadership. “While we are fortunate to live in McHenry County with many social service providers, it is often difficult to know how to refer someone to the right place. The process can be confusing and frightening, and the People in Need Forum is an effort to make this easier by giving out important information.”
“It is an amazing opportunity for community members to go to one place and to learn about many of the services available to help people throughout the county,” said Lori Baker, director of Marketing and Development for Family Service & Community Mental Health Center for McHenry County.
Some questions that service providers may hear include: “Where can I apply for food stamps and what will they cover?” “I am near foreclosure and I’m concerned that my family will be homeless.” “How do I know if my friend is depressed and may be suicidal?”
“Whether you are a worker at your neighborhood food pantry, a doctor’s receptionist, or a case manager for a social service agency, you are faced with people having multiple and complicated problems and you need to know what community resources are available to help,” Thomas said.
Thomas said that the People in Need Forum started in 2003 with 50 attendees and grew to more than 400 last year, which she attributes to a sign of the times.
“We’re seeing more and more veterans returning home who need social services, along with others who are downsized from jobs or facing financial crises. The forum is a wonderful way for people to connect service providers with people who care,” Thomas said.
The People in Need Forum is sponsored by the McHenry County College Center for Non-Profit Leadership and includes more than 20 other supporting organizations who have generously given staff time and materials. The presenting sponsor new for 2012 is the McHenry County Community Foundation.
Admission is free. Each registered attendee will receive a People in Need Resource Directory, the only printed directory of its kind in McHenry County. New for 2012, thanks to the McHenry County Community Foundation, is that the resource directory will also be available on a flash drive. Registration is available online and questions can be answered at www.mchenry.edu/peopleinneed, or by calling Bev Thomas at (815) 479-7792.
