Resource fair aimed at eliminating barriers

Published 7:44 pm Friday, April 26, 2019

A combined effort between multiple agencies resulted in a community resource fair, held Thursday at Boyle County Public Library. A total of 15 organizations set up in the community room, offering the public a glimpse into what their services entail.

The event was co-sponsored by the library and the Economic Development Partnership’s Workforce Development Committee. Caleb Conover, public services librarian, is part of a subcommittee that focused on marketing a community resource guide, a lengthy directory listing contact information and the type of services each agency provides.

“We planned the resource fair as a sort of kickoff event to draw attention to both the guide’s existence, as well as some of the agencies it describes,” he said. A different subcommittee actually put the list together, which consisted of researching local resources and editing the guide into something that specifically benefits job-seekers and employers alike.

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Conover also said the idea behind the fair was “to pull as many organizations as we can about education, resume assistance, job-seeking help … Some substance abuse resources — it’s about eliminating any barriers that we can in that job-seeking process.”

He said he hoped the community used the resource fair as a preliminary event to a job fair that’s planned for Tuesday, April 30, at The Showroom on Lebanon Road. “The connection would hopefully be — they come here today, they get ready, have their resume on-point, network with all of the people then see the companies and be ready to go next week,” Conover said.

The Community Resource Directory can be found online at developdanville.com, under the “workforce development” tab.

The agencies that set up Thursday included Heart of Kentucky United Way; Isaiah House; Boyle County’s KY ASAP; Kentucky Career Center; Vocational Rehabilitation; Goodwill; Campbellsville University; Spero Health; Blue Grass Community Action Partnership; Bluegrass Community and Technical College; Housing Authority of Danville; Boyle County Adult Education; Skills U; Boyle County Family Resource Centers; Wellcare; and the library.

Conover said other agencies that could not be present also left information for participants to pick up. He said the library counted roughly 21 people who came through.

IF YOU GO

• A regional job fair will be held 1-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 30 at The Showroom, 2405 Lebanon Road, Danville. The event is sponsored by The Central Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management.

• An expungement fair will be held June 13 at Danville Church of God, 516 S. Fourth St., Danville. The event will include information on eligible offenses for expungement, a copy of your criminal record, how to restore your voting rights, support for local alcohol and recovery, and job training and job search assistance.