Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch and the Bulloch County Commission on Human Services are partnering for the 2024 Picnic for Prevention and Resource Fair. The event will be held on Saturday, March 23, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at Luetta Moore Park.
“The Picnic for Prevention and Resource Fair will kick off this year’s activities for Child Abuse Prevention Month which is recognized annually in the month of April.” said Lora Cooper, Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch. The event is designed to offer families an opportunity to come out to a great park, have a picnic with their family, enjoy music and activities and learn about resources that are available to assist them.
Cooper went on to say, “We are partnering with the Bulloch County Commission on Human Services for this event to leverage resources that support the work of both agencies in ensuring that children and families have the resources and support to reach their full potential and thrive. There will be vendors from public health, education, adoption, social services and more. We will also have a live remote with Eagle 94.9 sponsored by Bulloch Alcohol and Drug Council and grilled hot dogs for everyone to devour courtesy of the Bulloch County Sherriff’s Department and sides provided by event vendors.”
“After a brief hiatus due to the pandemic, we are thrilled to be holding the Community Resource Fair again. This will be the 14th year the Resource Fair has been held. Holding the event with Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch is a true reflection of community collaboration – a community WIN” said Catherine Hendrix, Director of the Bulloch County Commission on Human Services. Hendrix added, “We have over 35 community vendors that will be participating the day of the event. In addition to the networking and fellowship opportunities with families, participants will receive a Resource Fair Booklet that contains the names of vendors, contact information and a summary of services offered. By no means is the booklet intended to be a comprehensive guide to all programs and services offered in our community, rather it is a starting point when trying to identify resources for your needs”, said Hendrix
Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch has been serving the community since 1999 and is a local council of Prevent Child Abuse Georgia. The organization provides and promotes programs and resources informed by science that enable children, families, caregivers and the entire Bulloch County community to thrive—today, tomorrow, and for generations to come. Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch is directly or indirectly touching a sizeable majority of the community by providing diapers, formula and other basic need items to families in need, making referrals to community resources for a family that is overwhelmed, providing much needed information on child development to a parent or caregiver, or working with the community to provide school supplies so that children can have a successful school year. Each time that Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch’s work touches an individual or family, not only is that individual or family strengthened—the entire community is strengthened.
Accountability drives the Bulloch County Commission on Human Services, Inc., a Family Connection Collaborative (BCHS). Maintaining a high level of integrity while respecting the 36-year history of BCHS, allows members to make decisions based on core values. The work of
BCHS is focused on: 1) the implementation of programs identified as “best practices” or scientifically research based; 2) making improvements in areas of child and family well-being through the exposure of direct and in-direct services, linking resources and the brokerage of existing community programs; 3) leveraging local, state and federal funds to support our community driven plans; and 4) the implementation of a community based local decision-making process which results in the development of a community plan supported by collaborative members. BCHS has proven to be a leader in these areas. Since 1996, BCHS has directly leveraged more than 28 million dollars from local, state and federal funds to support our BCHS community plans. The active work of the collaborative is effectively assessed utilizing the outcomes of the Collaborative Vitality Survey, the Partner Engagement Matrix, our Strategy Implementation Report and our local assessments. As a result of collaboration among BCHS partners, children, families and the community have benefited from current and previous efforts, such as 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Community Resilience, Community Needs Assessments, Drug-Free Communities, Grants to Reduce Alcohol Abuse Youth Development, Communities in Schools, Mental and Behavioral Health Collaboration, Policy Change Efforts, Family Literacy and Support, Grant Writing, Alternative Education Support, etc.
For more information on the Picnic for Prevention and Resource Fair or on ways to support the work of PCAB or BCHS, please contact Lora Cooper at the Outreach Center office at (912) 489-8547 or by email at ed@pcabulloch.org or contact Catherine Hendrix at (912) 764-6179 or by email at chendrix.bchs@gmail.com
