"Un"employment Fair in Bluffton

Last Friday was the "Un"employment Fair. It was designed to help the unemployed and underemployed people in Wells County find out about services and programs that could help them through these tough economic times.

Some of the exhibitors were Wells on Wheels (affordable public transportation), Park Center (we all need some help coping with bad times), Faith Fund (housing and utilities assistance), and Wells County Health Fair (it will be held on October 31 this year).

There were also workshops presented that dealt with how to apply for public assistance, reducing some of your utility expenses, and shopping on a reduced budget.

This first-ever "Un"employment Fair was attended by about two dozen people - not the numbers we had hoped. But, for those two dozen that attended and learned something, it was very worthwhile.

We are looking at the possibility of holding such an event quarterly through these tough times - changing our venue (probably using the meeting room at the library), and holding it in the afternoon/early evening. We know that some people were unable to attend because they do have jobs and had to work. We also know that just because you have a job, doesn't mean you can make ends meet.

Watch for news of the next "Un"employment Fair.

Social Media

Tweet Up on April 14 at the Bohemian Bean Cafe just outside the Wells County Public Library.

What is a Tweet Up you ask? A Tweet Up is a gathering of local people who use Twitter. Twitter is a microblog used by millions of people around the world. It is a great way to connect with people in next door or across the world. The airplane crash news in the Hudson a few weeks ago was broken by passengers tweeting as they reached safety. You can announce to your followers that you will be having lunch at a particular restaurant at a particular time and you would be surprised to see who will show up.

Jerry Battiste from the News-Banner and I have been working to increase twitter traffic in Wells County, along with other forms of social media. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, MySpace are all ways of connecting people with other people.

If you don't use twitter, consider coming to out next tweet up - we love talking to other people - we learn from each other and are happy to help you navigate the various forms of social media.

Imagination Library

I will be speaking to the Bluffton Rotary Club on Tuesday about the Imagination Library, and it occurred to me that I hadn't talked about it publicly in awhile.

The Imagination Library is an awesome program that the United Way of Wells County partners with Dollywood Foundation. Every eligible child in Wells County that registers will receive one free hard-cover age-appropriate book mailed to their home every single month from birth until their fifth birthday.

The books are very high quality and children get so excited to receive their very own copy in the mail. If your child is eligible (age 0-5 and living in Wells County), you can register them at any of the local public libraries, through Healthy Families, the United Way office or at our website (www.unitedwaywells.org).

Reading is such a fundamental skill for children as they go to school and learn. While they will not be actually learning to read necessarily, they will get used to holding books and looking at them and it does foster a love of reading and learning.

So, sign up your child today if they are eligible.