Non-profit fair to highlight local volunteer opportunities

An upcoming non-profit fair will put local organizations center stage to showcase what services they provide the community and what help they needs from area residents. 

Leadership Clark County‘s Non-Profit Fair will be hosted at Wittenberg University‘s 1929 Gymnasium from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 14. 

More than 20 local non-profit organizations – including United Way, The Salvation Army, and Second Harvest Food Bank – will will at the event to connect with potential volunteers.

“Our (Leadership) participants have been through the academy and are getting ready to graduate, so this is part of their final wrap up session,” Leadership Clark County Executive Director Leigh Anne Lawrence says. “In the past, it used to incorporate a non-profit fair, and I wanted to bring that back this year.”

During an early portion of the day, the 36 Leadership Academy participants will get to speak directly with each non-profit organization to learn more about them as they “get ready to be in action and serve someplace,” Lawrence says.

“Sometimes people go into the fair and don’t know where they want to serve,” she says. “But then they meet an executive director or a board member of a certain non-profit and end up knowing that’s exactly where they want to serve.” 

The second portion of the day – from 1 to 3 p.m. – is free and will be open to not only academy participants, but also to Wittenberg students and any community members interested in attending. 

“An event like this can open people’s eyes to how many non-profits we have in the community, and this event is just touching on a small portion of them,” Lawrence says. “We want to connect talent and service together.”

Lawrence says the non-profit fair also can help people understand that service happens in a broad spectrum of ways. 

“Servant leadership is about giving back, and giving back can be however you envision that. It could be coaching a softball team or making Christmas cards or going to talk to a veteran who doesn’t have many visitors,” she says. “It’s all important, and no good deed is too small.”

Showcasing the opportunities in Springfield and Clark County is also an important way help Wittenberg students understand the many reasons they might want to choose to stay in the area after graduation, she says. 

“When you say community, I really feel like Clark County and Springfield are really a community,” Lawrence says. “In my opinion, everyone really pulls together and supports each other. We are all kind of each other’s cheerleaders.

“There’s really no place quite like Springfield.”