Community Resource Fair connects residents to needed local services

Published 6:02 pm Friday, January 31, 2020

Members of the local community who are in need were able to get assistance on Wednesday in a one-stop-shop format at the Mack Gaston Community Center.

“We want people to learn about resources available in their community, and (here) they can see it all in one shot,” said Jennifer Shearin, executive director of the Dalton-Whitfield Community Development Corp. “As professionals, we go to a lot of events like this, so we’re just (using) that idea here.”

During the seventh annual Community Resource Fair, individuals were able to connect with medical experts, learn information on budgeting and possibly even procure housing. Numerous community partners, from the DEO Clinic to the Latin American Association, were in attendance at the event, which began in 2014 as Homeless Connect, that was organized by the Dalton-Whitfield Community Development Corp.

Students in Genesis Career College’s Cosmetology School provided haircuts for attendees, and “we’re here to serve the community,” said instructor Ashley Houck. “They enjoy getting out and helping people.”

In fact, “we’re trying to do even more community work,” Houck said. “We go out to nursing homes and assisted living (facilities), and it helps (expose students) to every walk of life.”

Genesis “is really precious to me,” Shearin said. “They’re just here because they want to be.”

The DEO Clinic never misses this community fair because “there are a lot of people who don’t get regular annual exams who may be dealing with health issues,” said T.J. Brown, the clinic’s director. In addition to treatment, the clinic can direct patients to other resources based on needs.

The DEO Clinic — now located inside the community center — provides primary and preventive health care to financially eligible individuals of Whitfield and Murray counties who otherwise have no access to public or private health insurance, and it has more than 70 volunteers, which “ensures nobody gets overworked,” Brown said. “Last year, we provided (roughly 3,300) office visits and lab appointments to our patients, most of whom have chronic conditions,” such as high blood pressure.

The clinic offered free blood pressure checks on Wednesday as high blood pressure “is known as ‘the silent killer,'” Brown said. “These screenings can make a significant difference.”

The clinic is funded by donations, corporate benefactors and “a few grants, so this is truly a homegrown solution to indigent care in our community,” Brown said. “Members of a community in poor health impact the whole community, and hopefully we’re helping the overall health of our community.”

Georgia HOPE, a community-based provider of mental health, substance use and family preservation services, was also represented Wednesday, hoping to “get some new referrals and spread the word,” said Georgia HOPE’s Jordan Baggett. “I feel a lot of people in Dalton don’t know about Georgia HOPE, and that we (help) both kids and adults.”

Among the changes for this year’s Community Resource Fair was a new time slot of 2 to 6 p.m., instead of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Shearin said. “We’re hoping to draw more people” who may previously have been prevented from attending due to the time frame.

Yolanda Gonzalez made her first visit to the fair this year hoping to discover resources she can use to assist families in her role as the family service coordinator for Whitfield County Schools, she said. “A lot of families I have, their legal status creates limitations on what help they can get.”

While basic medical services can often be secured, treatment by specialists is typically problematic, she said. Additionally, “some medications can be very expensive.”

Naomi Dalton, a first-time visitor to the fair, was attracted by — among other inducements — the budgeting tutelage, she said. She even brought along her daughter and niece.

“It’s good for the younger generation to learn about that, or have a refresher,” Dalton said. Information from the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library was also “really good, but, really, everything here is very good.”

Many attendees were pleasantly surprised to learn “that we have so many free events and free resources,” said Jessica Wyatt, an assistant at the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library. Furthermore, “the library is a warm place in the winter and a cool spot in the summer.”

“It can be as simple as that,” Wyatt continued. A comfortable climate “is a great thing to have.”

The United Way handed out resource guides detailing services offered, as well as tote bags containing winter apparel ranging from scarfs to hats to gloves, said Lupita Melendrez, who joined the United Way five months ago. The bags were provided by Shaw Industries, while the clothing was donated by members of the community.

Shearin was grateful that so many agencies and individuals participated in the fair, she said. “Everyone here has a piece of the puzzle for improving qualify of life.”

“There are a lot of interesting things in this community, (some of which) I had no clue about,” Dalton observed. “I love it.”