On October 14th, local organizations Mi Chiantla, ASHHO Cultural Community and Job Training Center, and Family Education and Support Services came together to plan and host a resource fair and public health event in partnership with the incredible staff at Legends Arcade. The hope and purpose of the event was to share resources with the community, ensure that all of those who attend feel welcome and the community feels invested in, and to support collaboration between local organizations who share similar goals. Everything at the event was completely free to participants: food, raffle entries, balloons, Halloween treats, and even some arcade tokens. Ultimately what was an “experimental” test run proved successful and the team hopes to revisit this model and share it to promote fun and engaging ways to connect community members with wellness-supporting resources.
A delicious and culturally-rich variety of hot catered food was provided by ASHHO, while entertainment and truly exceptional balloon art was provided by Professor Bamboozle, who often delights with his presence at the Olympia Farmers Market. Other participating organizations in the resource fair with sharing an aligned vision were Wild Grief and Thurston County Public Health and Social Services. Coordinated Care and Amerigroup served as the fair’s wonderful sponsors and were essential for humoring and realizing this idea.
The event’s generous donors included Sophie’s Scoops, TwinStar Credit Union, Super Smash Video Games, Gabi’s Olympic Cards and Comics, and Captain Little. Much gratitude for all of those who contributed and participated – especially the team at Legends, whose dedication to creating an inviting, joyful place for their community could not have been more evident. Here