The 2024 Picnic for Prevention and Resource Fair is scheduled for Saturday, March 23rd. The event, which used to take place as two separate events, has now combined to provide area residents with the power of knowledge, prevention, and community.
The Picnic for Prevention and the Bulloch and Bulloch County Commission on Human Services (BCCHS) Resource Fair were thwarted, along with the rest of the world, once COVID hit in 2020. Four years later, Lora Cooper and Catherine Hendrix, executive directors of Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch and Bulloch County Commission on Human Services respectively, have teamed up to bring this essential event back to the public and provide useful information that local residents need but may not be cognizant of.
Joining forces for the children and families of Bulloch County
"April is Child Abuse Prevention Month," Cooper says. "We looked at a way to come back to having the Picnic for Prevention and Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch being an active member of BCCHS. I reached out to Catherine about the resource fair and us partnering to do this event."
"Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch is focused on true prevention. We want to prevent that child abuse or child maltreatment before it ever begins," Cooper explains. "We look at ways to strengthen families and what better way to do that than to have an event that is about family togetherness, bringing out resources in the community, pairing people together to have fun and learn about resources they may not be aware of."
"We've got youth services, senior services, mental health, education, higher education," Hendrix adds. "As we were thinking about starting the resource fair again, it was just a logical fit to pair with Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch County and Lora, because she's an active member of the Bulloch County Commission, and join forces to offer the Prevention Picnic in combination with the resource fair because the Commission's ultimate goal is to improve outcomes for children and families within our community."
The star-studded list of vendors includes Safe Haven, Promise686, Peach State Health Plan, and many more.
"That's what the BCCHS is all about. We meet monthly," Hendrix says, "We've been in existence for 29 years and it's the grassroots agencies coming together to identify gaps in the community and then developing strategies, writing grants, and providing services to fill those gaps."
Cooper and Hendrix explain that Georgia is ranked #37 of all 50 states in the Annie E. Casey's Kids Count Data Book.
"So we have a long way to go as a state to improve outcomes for children and families," she says.
Cooper emphasizes the importance of every organization that fits a niche in the overall picture of desired health for parents and children, both physically, mentally, and emotionally.
"We have a huge need to work on family and child wellbeing. One of the ways we focus on that is building in what we call the five protective factors that strengthen families: parental resilience, social connections, concrete supports in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social-emotional confidence of children," she says.
"Some people don't know where to turn for those supports in times of need," Cooper states. The goal of this Saturday's event is to alleviate that for residents of Statesboro and surrounding areas.
Family fun and resources galore
Family activities include free food and books, door prizes, fellowship, and family fun. Vendors will be set up to provide crucial information for families in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere.
"One thing that is unique to our resource fair and prevention picnic is every participant that comes and every vendor that is there will receive a vendor resource book so they will leave with the resources in one central book with the name of a person and contact information," Hendrix says.
The resource book also comes with descriptions of what each organization does, so residents know exactly what resources are available to them for different areas of their lives. The hope is that once members of the community get to meet and talk with vendors face to face, they will feel a deeper connection that will overcome any inhibitions one may experience when reaching out for help to people they've never met.
Cooper and Hendrix are eager to greet people on Saturday and see their family-oriented joint venture come to life.
"It's to celebrate families, celebrate healthy outcomes, and also to share the resources in the community," Hendrix says.
The Picnic for Prevention and Resource Fair takes place on Saturday, March 23, 2024 from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM at Luetta Moore Park, which is located at 585 MLK Drive in Statesboro. This is a rain or shine event.
For more information about Bulloch County Commission on Human Services please visit their website at bulloch.gafcp.org. For more information about Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch, please visit their website at pcabulloch.org.
