"Attendees commented that they were able to acquire a lot of information and have personal interactions with a variety of service providers." - Rhonda Miska, Church of the Incarnation

Photos: Information booths at the 2006 Help Fair


On Sunday, October 29, 2006, representatives from 30 government, non-profit and faith based offices participated in the second annual Help Fair - Fería de Ayuda oriented to enhancing access of our Latino population to available local resources and services. The event was held at the Church of the Incarnation located behind Toys R Us on Rt. 29.

Twenty-eight of the 30 organizations manned information tables or provided medical diagnostic services in three popular mobile clinics stationed in the parking lot. There was a notable increase in bilingual service providers compared with the 2005 Help Fair and UVA student volunteers were also available as interpreters.

Between 275 and 300 Latinos attended the event, between 3 and 6 pm, organized by the Creciendo Juntos Community Services Working Group and the Church of the Incarnation. In addition to information and medical services (blood pressure and sugar testing, HIV screening, mammograms), there were four Latin American folk dance routines, door prizes, and Latin American food. The new local TV program Zona Latina and the Spanish language newspaper Nuevas Raíces were on hand filming and/or interviewing participants and attendees.

CJ-GT also distributed copies of the updated Spanish Language Resource Guide, printed by the Piedmont Housing Alliance. Spanish and English resource guides are available on the CJ website (www.cj-network.org).

A special thanks to Rhonda Miska and others from the CJ Community Services Working Group for their tireless efforts in organizing the event, and to generous funding from the Virginia Housing Development Authority and the UVA Cancer Center.

Interested in getting involved in the 2007 Help Fair? If so, contact Rhonda Miska at rmm@incarnationparish.org

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

1 Piedmont Housing Alliance – Peter Loach
2 Virginia Housing Development Authority - Frank/Jose
3 UVa Cancer Center – Nila Saliba/Christine Shachtman
4 International Family Medicine Clinic – Dr. Fern Hauck
5 UVa Diabetes – Anne Diamond Diabetes Education Program
6 Charlottesville Social Services – Meg Camp
7 Albemarle Social Services – Linda Hemby
8 Legal Aid Justice Center – Emily Dreyfus
9 Shelter for Help in Emergency - Marie Murray
10 Church of the Incarnation – Rhonda Miska
11 Thomas Jefferson CHIP Program – Dilcia Colindres
12 Rural Health Outreach Program – Ivonne Lopez
13 Albemarle Square Family Health & Nutrition – Dr.Tim Short
14 Community Children’s Dental Center – Becky Weybright
15 Nuevas Raices/Zona Latina TV – Carlos Terán and Diane Taylor
16 Migrant Education Program Albemarle County Adult Education– Rebecca Snider
17 Children, Youth and Family Services – Jen Wilkes
18 International Rescue Committee – Mike Tsai
19 Charlottesville Free Clinic – Erika Biccellio
20 Bancoamerica – Sonia Arroyo
21 Region 10 Strengthening Families – Laura Anderson
22 Blue Ridge Care Connections - Janet Muse
23 HIV/AIDS Service Group – Bruce Taylor
24 Charlottesville Pregnancy Center – Kathy Brown-Bryant
25 Virginia Department of Health/MACAA
26 Virginia Employment Commission – Pedro Ortiz
27 Cheryl Ribano, community volunteer and author, Resource Guide for Latinos (Spanish) and the Resource Listing for Service Providers Assisting Latinos (English)
28 UVA Family Medicine Clinic – Dr. Fern Hauck
29 Virginia Employment Commission – Pedro Ortiz